New Yorkers May Not Need To Check Work Emails After Hours If This Bill Passes

Unsplash/Priscilla Du Preez

No matter how much you love your job, it’s unlikely that you’re thrilled to work during your off hours. Depending on your company, it could actually be normal to check your email on weekends and before you go to bed. And while we agree that being a team player is a good thing, we also believe that you can fulfill your role without burning yourself out in the process.

Well, it looks like we’re not alone in this mentality, seeing as New York City council member Rafael Espinal just introduced a bill that would free you from checking those work emails after your workday is over.

The bill, formally called the Disconnecting From Work Bill, would protect employees from needing to respond to work emails once they officially leave for the day, while they’re on vacation and when they’re taking leave or sick days. If the bill passes, companies with 10+ employees would be prohibited from reaching out to their employees during these times.

Unsplash/Becca Tapert

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, like if employees can work overtime or who are on call 24 hours a day, and you may not feel super comfortable reporting your employer anyway. But at least if the bill passes, you’d have a law protecting you from doing more than you’re paid for.

“There’s a lot of New Yorkers out there that don’t know when their workday begins or when their workday ends because we’re all so tied to our phones,” Espinal told CNN affiliate WCBS. “You can still work, you can still talk to your boss, but this just is saying that, when you feel like you’ve hit your boiling point and you can’t do it anymore, you’re able to disconnect and decompress for a while.”

If employers would break the potential law, they would pay a total fine of $750 to the employees reporting the employers.

We’ll see if the bill actually passes, but if it does, we can essentially expect to have a little better work-life balance in the city. And who doesn’t want that?