'Right to Disconnect' | Canadian entrepreneur slams new law - but remember, you don't own your staff!

The Canadian entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary has criticised Australia’s new ‘right to disconnect’ law.

O’Leary slammed the new rules, which gives employees the right to refuse if their employer contacts them outside of work hours, saying that some roles and situations require staff to be contacted outside of work hours. 

He said: “If you have an event in the office and it’s closed or you have an emergency somewhere and you have to get a hold of them at two in the morning because it affects the job they’re working on and their mandate in the organisation.”

When asked what he would do if he was told by an employee they were in ‘silent mode’, the entrepreneur instantly said he would fire them. Of course, O’Leary’s sentiment is slightly extreme, however it does raise some questions about whether a ‘right to disconnect’, which is likely set to come into play in the UK, overlooks workers on call or unique circumstances.