Right to Disconnect: Your Remote Work Policy Upgrade by 26 Aug 2025

Professional services firms have a 2025 deadline: embed the Right to Disconnect and strengthen flexible work practices under the Fair Work Act—without losing delivery speed or client trust. Here’s a practical, story-led blueprint to get compliant, protect wellbeing, and lift performance.

Introduction: The Compliance Clock Starts Now

“It’s 9.47 pm—why is my phone still buzzing?” Maya, a managing partner at a 14-person accounting firm, stared at her screen. Her people were burning out, yet the team felt pressured to reply to clients instantly. With the Right to Disconnect taking effect from 26 August 2025 for all employers, plus stricter obligations on flexible working requests (including for employees 55+), Maya knew her 2020-era remote policy wouldn’t cut it.

“Document your business or get out.” The advice hit hard—but it became the turning point.

What followed was a rapid, human-centred policy upgrade that balanced compliance, client service, and team wellbeing.

The Challenge: Policies Built for 2020, Not 2025

What changed—and why it matters

Right to Disconnect (from 26 Aug 2025): Employers must have clear policies that let employees disconnect from work outside hours, with defined exceptions for urgency.
Flexible working requests (Fair Work Act): Full-time and part-time employees with 12+ months’ service can request flexibility. Employers must consult, respond in writing within 21 days, and may only refuse on reasonable business grounds. This includes requests by employees aged 55+.
WHS still applies remotely: You must ensure safe work from home—ergonomics, psychosocial risks, and practical controls—like any workplace.
Privacy, cybersecurity, and contract terms: Remote work does not dilute obligations; it amplifies them. Policies must cover work hours, overtime, privacy, data security, and device use.
Risk of missteps: Poor processes can trigger underpayment claims, anti-discrimination issues, or regulatory scrutiny—avoidable with sound documentation.

Maya’s firm had ad hoc rules buried in emails. No workflow, no records, no clarity—a recipe for non-compliance and fatigue.

Lesson 1: Document or Drown—Create a Single Source of Truth

The mindset shift

Policies on a shared drive weren’t enough. The firm needed one authoritative playbook that remote workers could actually follow.

Centralise: One policy hub in the firm’s intranet—version-controlled, searchable, permissioned.
Standardise: Use templates for requests, consultation notes, approvals/refusals, TOIL tracking, and WHS checklists.
Operationalise: Turn policy into repeatable steps so remote workers can follow instructions consistently—no guesswork.
Evidence by default: Every step leaves a record. If it’s not documented, it didn’t happen.

Quick win

Pin the policy hub to your task manager and chat app. Make it the first result for “flex” and “after-hours”.

Lesson 2: Design a Clear After‑Hours Protocol (Right to Disconnect)

Define “urgent” once—apply always

What counts as urgent: statutory filing deadlines within 24–48 hours, production outages, data incidents, or matters explicitly marked “Urgent” by a partner-on-call.
Who can be contacted: a weekly on-call roster with one partner and one senior; include backup contacts.
How to contact: call for true emergencies; otherwise use a dedicated “Urgent” channel. No “FYI” pings after hours.
Quiet hours: default no-response expectation outside contracted hours; use delayed send for emails.
Response time SLAs: e.g., urgent within 30 minutes for on-call staff; non-urgent next business day.
TOIL rules: all approved urgent after-hours work is logged and banked as time off in lieu within 30 days.
Escalation: if unclear, check the decision tree; when in doubt, do not disturb.

Manager script

“Unless it’s on the urgent list and I’m on-call, I won’t contact you after hours. If I slip, remind me. Our policy backs you.”

Lesson 3: Standardise the Flexible Work Request Workflow

The 8-step compliance path

Standard form: employee details, role, tenure (confirm 12+ months), reason (including if 55+), proposed change, and impacts/mitigations.
Acknowledge within 2 business days: log the request in the workflow tool.
Consultation meeting: explore options; consider WHS, client needs, and team coverage.
Decision within 21 days in writing: approve, approve with conditions, or refuse on reasonable business grounds (e.g., cost, capacity, impracticality, or inefficiency), with reasons.
Offer alternatives: if refusing, propose workable options (staggered start, compressed week, job share).
Recordkeeping: store form, meeting notes, decision letter, and review date.
Implement: update rosters, KPIs, client contact notes, and after-hours eligibility.
Review: set a 3–6 month check-in to adjust arrangements.

Dialogue:
Employee (57): “Two days WFH for caregiving would help.”
Manager: “Let’s map impacts and controls. We’ll confirm in writing within 21 days.”

Templates that save time

Request form + consultation agenda
Approval/Refusal letter with reasons and alternatives
TOIL tracker and roster updates

Lesson 4: Make WHS for Home Offices Real

A policy without controls is wishful thinking. Extend your safety system to the home: ergonomics, psychosocial risks, and secure work setups.

Home office checklist: chair/desk ergonomics, lighting, trip hazards, screen position, and break reminders.
Psychosocial controls: set workload limits, meeting-free focus blocks, and after-hours rules to reduce fatigue.
Security controls: MFA, encrypted devices, auto-lock, secure Wi‑Fi, and clean desk rules for client data.
Incident reporting: the same HSE form/process as the office—single source of truth.

Pro tip

Bundle the WHS check into the flexible work request workflow so compliance happens automatically.

Execution: Train, Pilot, and Communicate

From paper to practice

Kick-off briefing: 30-minute all-hands; leaders model the Right to Disconnect from day one.
Manager training: handling requests, documenting consultation, and applying “reasonable business grounds”.
Pilot the roster + TOIL: run a two-week test; refine the urgent list and SLAs.
Enable the tech: delayed send by default, after-hours banners, and automated request workflows.

Sample announcement

“Our new policy protects quiet hours. Urgent matters follow the on-call roster only. Flexible work requests will be acknowledged within 2 business days and decided within 21 days, with reasons.”

Results: Compliance Evidence and a Healthier Business

Within six weeks, Maya’s firm saw measurable wins:

Fewer after-hours pings: down 64%; TOIL accurately tracked.
Faster, fair decisions: 100% of requests acknowledged in 48 hours; all decisions on time with documented reasons.
Audit-ready records: every request, note, and letter in one place.
Lower costs: tighter remote rhythm contributed to operational savings (remote work can cut costs by up to a third with clear systems).
Happier clients: clarity on response SLAs improved expectations and satisfaction.

The main challenge—balancing compliance, wellbeing, and delivery—was solved by sectioning policy into simple, documented workflows.

Takeaway: Your 10-Point Action Plan

Publish a Right to Disconnect protocol with urgent definitions, on-call roster, and TOIL rules.
Adopt a standard flexible work request form and 8-step workflow.
Guarantee written decisions within 21 days; only refuse on reasonable business grounds.
Consult on every request and document the conversation.
Embed WHS home office controls and checklists.
Cover hours, overtime, privacy, and cybersecurity in your remote policy.
Train managers; provide scripts and templates.
Automate acknowledgment and decision deadlines in your task system.
Create a single source of truth—version control, access, and retention rules.
Measure outcomes: after-hours volume, TOIL usage, request turnaround, retention, and client satisfaction.

Right to Disconnect: Your Remote Work Policy Upgrade by 26 Aug 2025