Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment

Right to Disconnect

What is the Right to Disconnect?

Starting August 26, 2024, changes to the Fair Work Act have been introduced to help workers have a better balance between work and personal life. These changes give you the right to disconnect from work communications (like emails, messages, or calls) when you're off the clock.

What this means to you

You don’t need to check or respond to work-related communications outside your regular working hours unless it’s urgent, or agreed upon in advance with your manager. You and your manager should agree on what "reasonable contact" means for your role.

The Northern Territory Public Sector (NTPS) Commitment

The Commissioner for Public Employment supports this right and has provided guidelines to ensure that everyone in the NTPS respects this new rule.

By having open and respectful conversations at work, reviewing job duties, and setting clear expectations, we can avoid conflicts about the Right to Disconnect. These discussions should consider both the needs of the organisation and the well-being of employees.

If issues do come up, the NTPS will not discipline employees for using their right to disconnect. Instead, we aim to resolve any disputes or disagreements in a fair manner.

What you can do