00:00Today is Monday August 26, 2024.
00:05Australian workers face unpaid labour crisis, young employees hit harder than ever.
00:10A recent report by the Australia Institute reveals that, on average, Australian employees
00:16performed 5.4 hours of unpaid work each week last year.
00:21The burden was even heavier for those aged 18-29, who clocked in an average of 7.4 hours
00:27of uncompensated labour.
00:29Chinese migrant Wang, in her late twenties, had anticipated a balanced work-life culture
00:35before starting her first job as a sales assistant in Melbourne.
00:40She had heard that Australian workplaces typically respected a 9-to-5 schedule and avoided contacting
00:45employees during their personal time.
00:48However, Wang quickly discovered that her reality was starkly different.
00:53Her boss frequently requested her to complete tasks after her official working hours.
00:59Wang described her experience of overwork in Australia as being worse than in China,
01:04which is notorious for its gruelling 996-work culture where employees often work from 9am
01:11to 9pm, six days a week.
01:14�I worked in private tutoring when I was in China,� Wang shared, asking to be identified
01:19only by her surname.
01:22�But the overwork here has been far more challenging.
01:25During that time, I occasionally had to respond to messages from parents at night, but it
01:30didn�t consume much of my personal time.�
01:34Chris Wright, an associate professor in the discipline of work and organisational studies
01:38at the University of Sydney, highlighted that while Australians are often perceived as enjoying
01:44leisure, they actually work longer hours compared to many other developed nations.
01:50Wright referred to the 2018 OECD Better Life Index, which found that full-time workers
01:55in Australia dedicate 14.4 hours per day to personal care and leisure, slightly below
02:01the OECD average of 15 hours.
02:05The index also revealed that 13% of Australian employees work extremely long hours, in contrast
02:11to the OECD average of 10%.
02:15Wright explained to Al Jazeera that some studies in Australia suggest technology has
02:19blurred the boundaries between work life and personal life.
02:23This blurring is a common feature of Australian work culture.
02:28Employees may adhere to standard working hours, but often continue working after leaving the
02:33office.
02:34Despite these long working hours, Wright noted that Australia has experienced slow productivity
02:39growth over the past two decades, with labour productivity across the economy declining
02:45by March 7% in 2022-2023.
02:50Wright expressed hope that the right to disconnect law could enhance Australia�s productivity
02:54by encouraging companies to adopt more efficient work practices.
02:59Countries with shorter work hours, such as France with its 35-hour work week, have faced
03:04criticism but have also seen positive productivity outcomes, Wright noted.
03:10He believes that right to disconnect laws could prompt Australian companies to develop
03:14smarter ways of working.
03:17Michelle O�Neill, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, stated that her organisation
03:23had been advocating for the right to disconnect for years.
03:26�We�re pleased that it�s now a legal right for workers in Australia, as it reinforces
03:31the principle that workers should be compensated for all the work they do,� O�Neill told
03:36reporters.
03:37However, business lobby groups have voiced their opposition to the new law.
03:42Bran Black, chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, argued that the issue
03:48of allowing employees to disconnect after hours should be managed within workplaces
03:52rather than through legislation.
03:55The government�s new laws, including changes to the definitions of casual employees and
04:00independent contractors, will increase red tape and union power, while decreasing productivity
04:05and harming our economy at a critical time, Black told Al Jazeera.
04:11Our employment laws should encourage job creation rather than add more bureaucracy to the hiring
04:16process.
04:17The new law does not prevent employers from contacting employees, and bosses can argue
04:22that an employee�s refusal to respond is unreasonable, raising concerns about whether
04:27employees will feel comfortable ignoring calls and messages.
04:31Wong, who was frustrated by her boss�s frequent communications outside of work hours, said
04:37she would hesitate to exercise this right for fear of receiving a negative performance
04:42review.
04:43Nonetheless, John Hopkins, an associate professor of management at Swinburne University of Technology,
04:51suggested that the law could help shift Australia�s always-on-work culture.
04:55The law will hopefully spark conversations about what constitutes reasonable and unreasonable
05:00contact outside of work hours, Hopkins told Al Jazeera.
05:05It will encourage discussions about the nature and necessity of after-hours communication.
05:10Why are employers reaching out to employees outside of work hours � is it really essential?
05:16Hopefully, this will lead to a reduction in unnecessary contact, he added.
05:22Most importantly, the law gives employees the right to ignore these messages until they
05:27return to work.
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