Right to Disconnect in Ireland: What Employers Need to Know

The right to disconnect in Ireland has become an important workplace issue because the way people work has changed so much. Hybrid work, smartphones, WhatsApp groups, Teams messages and email on mobile phones mean work can follow people long after the working day has ended. For employers, the challenge is not simply to tell people to switch off. It is to create clear, practical systems that allow employees to take proper rest while still protecting business continuity.

This is especially important during annual leave. Employees should be able to take holidays without feeling they need to monitor emails, answer calls or check messages from the beach. At the same time, employers may have genuine operational needs, particularly in smaller businesses where one person may hold key knowledge about payroll, clients, systems, projects or supplier relationships. The answer is not to ignore those realities. The answer is to plan for them.

Ronan Berry, Managing Partner of HRconsultants.ie (formerly O’Reilly Consulting Group), recently discussed the right to disconnect in Ireland on Newstalk Breakfast with Anton Savage, Midwest Radio, Midlands 103 and South East Radio. His view is that this should not be treated as an employers-versus-employees debate. Instead, it is a practical HR issue: how can businesses protect employee rest while still making sure genuine business continuity needs are covered?

What Is the Right to Disconnect in Ireland?

Ireland does not currently have a standalone statutory right to disconnect law. Instead, the Workplace Relations Commission introduced a Code of Practice on the Right to Disconnect in 2021. The Code gives practical guidance to employers and employees on workplace communication outside normal working hours, and it can be considered by the WRC, Labour Court or courts where relevant employment disputes arise.

The Code sets out three core principles. Employees have:

• The right not to routinely work outside normal working hours.
• The right not to be penalised for refusing to attend to work matters outside normal working hours.
• a responsibility to respect another person’s right to disconnect, which means managers and colleagues should think carefully before contacting someone outside their working time.

The important word is “routinely”. The right to disconnect in Ireland does not mean that no employer can ever contact an employee after hours or during annual leave. It does not ban every out-of-hours email. It recognises that exceptional situations can arise. What it does challenge is a workplace culture where employees feel they are expected to stay constantly available.

Why Annual Leave Matters

Annual leave is not just a nice benefit. It is part of the working time framework that protects rest, recovery and wellbeing. Most employees in Ireland are entitled to four weeks’ paid annual leave per leave year, with entitlements calculated depending on time worked.

For employers, this matters because annual leave only works if it is genuine time away from work. If an employee is officially on leave but is still checking emails each morning, replying to WhatsApp messages in the afternoon and joining calls when something comes up, they are not really getting the rest that annual leave is meant to provide. Over time, that can affect focus, morale, decision-making and performance.

There is also a wider issue in Ireland around employees not taking their full annual leave. FRS Recruitment’s 2025 Annual Leave Report found that 35% of Irish workers did not use all their annual leave in 2024, while almost one in four failed to take five days or more. That suggests the issue is not only about being contacted while on holidays. In some workplaces, employees may already feel too busy, too pressured or too concerned about falling behind to take their full entitlement in the first place.

The Workplace Has Changed

The old approach to annual leave was simpler. An employee went away, set an out-of-office reply and returned after their break. In many workplaces, that model no longer reflects how communication happens. Email is still important, but it is now only one part of a much wider set of communication tools.

Work may now reach employees through:

• Email
• WhatsApp
• Teams
• Slack
• Trello or other project tools
• LinkedIn messages
• Shared documents
• Phone calls
• Text messages

This creates a practical problem for employers and employees. An out-of-office message may deal with email, but it may not stop a WhatsApp message, a Teams notification or a quick call from a colleague. The result is that people can feel digitally present even when they are officially away from work. That is why the right to disconnect in Ireland needs to be approached as a real workplace management issue, not just a line in a policy document.

Business Continuity Is a Fair Concern

Employers are entitled to think about business continuity. This is particularly true in SMEs, where one person may carry important knowledge that is difficult to replace at short notice. A small business may have one person who understands payroll, one person who manages a major client account, or one person who knows the details of a live project or tender.

That reality does not justify an always-on culture, but it does explain why employers need practical planning. If the business cannot operate smoothly when a key employee is on leave, the first step should be to review cover arrangements, handover processes and internal knowledge sharing. The aim is not to make every employee replaceable in a harsh sense. The aim is to make sure the business is not dependent on interrupting someone’s annual leave to function properly.

This is where employers can take a constructive approach. Rather than waiting until a problem arises, they can agree in advance what needs to happen before leave begins, who will provide cover and what type of issue would genuinely justify contact. That gives employees more confidence to switch off and gives managers more confidence that the business is protected.

Occasional Contact Versus Expected Availability

A balanced approach must recognise the difference between occasional contact and expected availability. Occasional contact may happen where there is a genuine emergency or a serious operational issue. Expected availability is different. It means the employee feels they must keep checking in, even when they are meant to be resting.

Examples of genuine urgent contact might include:

• A payroll failure
• A cyber incident
• A serious health and safety matter
• A major client crisis
• A critical operational issue
• A legal or compliance deadline that cannot wait

These situations should be the exception, not the norm. If managers regularly need to contact employees on annual leave, it may be a sign that work is not being planned, delegated or documented properly. It may also suggest that the business has become too reliant on informal communication rather than clear systems.

The question for employers is not, “Can we ever contact someone?” A better question is, “Have we done enough planning so contact is rarely needed?” That is a more practical way to think about the right to disconnect in Ireland.

What Employers Should Include in a Right to Disconnect Policy

A Right to Disconnect policy should be clear, realistic and easy to apply. It should not be so rigid that it removes useful flexibility, but it should not be so vague that nobody knows what it means in practice. The policy should reflect the actual working patterns, communication tools and operational needs of the business.

A useful policy should cover:

• Normal working hours
• Expectations around out-of-hours communication
• Annual leave contact rules
• Emergency contact arrangements
• Use of email, WhatsApp, Teams and other tools
• Manager responsibilities
• Employee responsibilities
• Flexible working arrangements
• Handover expectations before leave
• How concerns can be raised

The policy should also explain that flexibility cuts both ways. Some employees may choose to work different hours because it suits their personal circumstances. For example, someone may leave early for a school collection and log back on later in the evening. The issue is not simply whether work happens outside traditional hours. The issue is whether someone else feels pressure to respond during their own rest time.

Practical Steps Before Annual Leave

The best time to protect annual leave is before it starts. Employers should not wait until an employee is away to discover that nobody else knows where a file is, who owns a client issue or what stage a project has reached. A simple handover process can prevent many unnecessary interruptions.

Before an employee goes on leave, employers should make sure there is clarity on:

1. What work is live or time-sensitive.
2. Who is covering urgent matters.
3. Which clients, suppliers or colleagues need to be updated.
4. Where key documents and information are stored.
5. What can wait until the employee returns.
6. What would count as a genuine emergency.
7. How contact should happen if it is genuinely needed.

This does not need to become a heavy administrative process. In many cases, a short handover document and a clear conversation with the manager will be enough. The point is to remove uncertainty before the employee leaves, rather than relying on messages while they are away.

Managers Set the Tone

A written policy is important, but culture is shaped by behaviour. If managers regularly send late-night messages and expect fast replies, employees will learn that the real rule is to stay available. If senior leaders take proper leave and respect other people’s leave, that sends a very different message.

Managers should be trained to understand the right to disconnect in Ireland and how it applies in everyday situations. They should know when contact is reasonable, when an issue can wait, how to use delayed send, and how to avoid creating pressure through casual messages. They should also understand that communication tools such as WhatsApp can feel more intrusive than email because they sit beside personal and family messages.

Good manager training does not need to be complicated. It should help managers pause before contacting someone who is off and ask whether the issue is genuinely urgent, whether someone else can deal with it, and whether the matter could have been planned better in advance.

Employees Have a Role Too

The right to disconnect in Ireland is not only an employer responsibility. Employees also play a part in making annual leave work smoothly. A well-prepared handover helps colleagues provide cover and reduces the chance of unnecessary contact during leave.

Before taking leave, employees should make sure they have updated their manager on live work, set an out-of-office message, shared relevant documents and directed key contacts to the right person. They should also raise any concerns early if they believe work will not be covered properly while they are away.

Employees should also respect their colleagues’ right to disconnect. If someone else is on leave, it is worth asking whether the message really needs to be sent now. In many cases, it can wait or be directed to the person providing cover.

Why This Is Good for Business

Some employers may worry that the right to disconnect will make the business less responsive. In practice, a clear approach can make the business more organised. When cover arrangements are agreed, communication rules are clear and managers know what to do, the organisation becomes less dependent on last-minute messages and individual availability.

Employees who take proper rest are more likely to return with better focus and energy. Teams that plan leave well are less likely to experience panic when someone is away. Clients and suppliers also benefit when they know who to contact and when they can expect a response.

The strongest employers do not rely on people being always available. They build systems that allow people to do good work, take proper rest and return ready to contribute.

The HRconsultants.ie View

At HRconsultants.ie, our view is that the right to disconnect in Ireland should be handled in a practical, balanced way. Employees need proper rest and should not feel routinely tied to work during annual leave. Employers need continuity, clarity and confidence that important work will still be managed.

Both can be achieved with the right systems. That means clear policies, sensible handovers, trained managers, agreed emergency contact rules and a culture where annual leave is respected. The goal is not to create unnecessary restrictions. The goal is to remove confusion and make expectations clear for everyone.

For many businesses, the starting point is simple. Look at how your organisation currently handles annual leave. Ask whether people can switch off properly. Ask whether managers know when contact is appropriate. Ask whether too much knowledge sits with one person. These questions will quickly show where improvements are needed.

Key Takeaway

The right to disconnect in Ireland is not about stopping businesses from operating. It is about helping businesses operate in a more sustainable way. When employers plan properly, employees can rest properly, and the business is better protected.

Annual leave should not depend on luck, goodwill or someone keeping one eye on their phone. It should be supported by clear systems, good communication and practical HR processes that work in real life.

If your business needs help creating or reviewing a Right to Disconnect policy, annual leave process, hybrid working policy or manager guidance, HRconsultants.ie can support you with practical advice tailored to your workplace.

FAQ: Right to Disconnect in Ireland

What is the right to disconnect in Ireland?

The right to disconnect in Ireland refers to an employee’s ability to switch off from work outside normal working hours, including not being routinely expected to answer emails, calls or messages during rest time or annual leave.

Is the right to disconnect in Ireland a law?

Ireland has a WRC Code of Practice rather than a standalone statutory right to disconnect law. The Code is guidance, but it can be considered in relevant employment disputes.

Can an employer contact an employee during annual leave?

An employer may occasionally need to contact an employee for a genuine urgent reason. However, routine contact during annual leave should be avoided, and employers should plan cover wherever possible.

Can employees ignore all work messages outside normal hours?

Not always. The issue is reasonableness. Employees should not be routinely expected to work outside normal hours, but genuine operational issues may sometimes arise.

What should a Right to Disconnect policy include?

A policy should define normal working hours, set expectations for out-of-hours contact, explain annual leave contact rules, cover communication tools, outline emergency arrangements and make manager responsibilities clear.

Does the right to disconnect apply to remote and hybrid workers?

Yes. Remote and hybrid workers are especially affected because work technology is often available at home and on mobile devices. Clear communication rules are important.

Why is annual leave important for employers?

Annual leave supports rest, recovery, wellbeing and performance. Employees who take proper leave are more likely to return focused and productive.

What is the best first step for employers?

Start by reviewing how annual leave is currently managed. Look at handovers, cover arrangements, manager behaviour and how often employees are contacted when they are supposed to be off.