Millions of workers in Australia have just been given the legal right to ignore after-hours demands from their boss—and the development isn’t sitting well with some corporate leaders. In fact, Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary said that the new law makes him “crazy”.
“It’s so dumb,” the Canadian businessman said on Fox News. “Who dreams this crap up is my question? Why would anyone propose such a stupid idea?”
The Australian law, which went into effect on Aug. 26, follows the likes of France and Spain in giving workers the right to unplug from their work phones, laptops and messaging apps in their personal time without repercussions—unless their refusal is deemed “unreasonable”.
But O’Leary was stunned by the idea that an employer’s 2 a.m. texts could be left unread.
If it’s a real emergency, employees are almost certain to respond — stupid law or no stupid law.
If it isn’t a real emergency, employees will probably do what they usually do and somehow fail to notice — stupid law or no stupid law.