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Home office: At some point, you have to end work
Photo: Fabian Strauch / dpa
After work, on days off or on parental leave, employees should not have to be available to their bosses in the opinion of the MEPs.
In a report, the EU Parliament demands that a right to be inaccessible be formulated in the Union.
This has not yet been expressly regulated in Union law, but it is of crucial importance when it comes to protecting the physical and mental health of workers.
In Parliament's view, employers should not require their employees to be available, directly or indirectly, outside of working hours.
The member states should ensure that anyone who invokes the right to be unavailable is protected from negative consequences.
There should also be mechanisms for dealing with complaints related to the law.
More overtime in the home office
In their report, the MPs also pointed out the dangers of mobile working, which had increased significantly in the corona crisis.
They asked the Commission to set precise minimum requirements for this.
Rapporteur Alex Agius Saliba pointed out in the plenary debate on Wednesday that those who regularly worked from home were significantly more likely to work overtime.
EU Employment Commissioner Nicolas Schmit emphasized that the right to be inaccessible has not only a social but also an economic component.
"People are not robots, people have limits." Those who want better productivity should not besiege people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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mamk / dpa