Home topics news pexels News News Why today changes everything about contacting your team after 5 pm Yajush Gupta August 26, 2025 Right to disconnect laws hit small businesses 26 August, giving employees legal power to ignore after-hours contact. Are you prepared? What’s happening: Right to disconnect laws extend to small business employees from 26 August 2025, giving them legal power to refuse monitoring, reading or replying to after-hours contact unless refusal is unreasonable. Why this matters: Small businesses have just days to implement policies and cultural changes that large companies spent an entire year developing, with the success depending on how confidently employees actually exercise their new rights. The countdown is on. In just over a week, Australian small business owners will face the same workplace reality that’s been reshaping larger companies since 26 August 2024: employees who can legally ignore your weekend messages. The right to disconnect gives employees the power to refuse contact outside working hours from employers or third parties, unless doing so is unreasonable. While big companies have had 12 months to navigate this new landscape, small businesses are scrambling to understand both the legal requirements and cultural implications with less than a fortnight to go. “Over the past year, the Right to Disconnect has become a regular feature of my day-to-day advisory work,” says Warwick Ryan, Partner in Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety at Hicksons | Hunt & Hunt. “I’ve supported clients in updating employment contracts, drafting policies, and navigating the often-grey area of