'This was a no-brainer decision', Cosmetique CEO says
More than three in four Australians (76%) support the right to disconnect bill, according to a recent survey by the Australian Institute.
The upcoming legislation will give employees the right to refuse contact from their employer outside of work hours unless that refusal is unreasonable.
Senator Barbara Pocock said the bill would benefit “millions of Australian workers " who need backup when they want to refuse 24/7 contact from their employer.
"The right is clear, practical, and reasonable. It will make a difference for workers who are not paid for being available and who donate many unpaid hours to their workplace," she said in a statement.
One company that supports the new bill is cosmetic clinic, Cosmetique. CEO Dr Vivek Eranki believes it’s a way to enhance customer service and care for patients.
“Being a cosmetic clinic, the majority of our staff are nurses and doctors,” he told HRD Australia. “And our argument is that the more well rested they are, the less burnout they have, the better they can look after our patients. We found that this was a no-brainer decision.”
Eranki added that the company supports allowing its clinicians and nurses to disconnect when they're off work.
Taking right to disconnect further
Eranki believes the right to disconnect legislation could go even further to protect employees, particularly in the healthcare sector.
He described how it could be extended to protect healthcare professionals when it comes to rostered days off.
“There's a lot that goes into being a clinician; for example, you have to maintain CPD (continuing professional development) points,” he said. “They have to do a lot of education, a lot of research after hours in order to keep that up.
“And where we see it going further is that, that time needs to be protected. So rather than looking at that time off where perhaps they can be contacted for a shift, we feel it is important to protect the time so that they are up to speed with the latest developments in the healthcare industry.”
Work-life balance and employee wellbeing
Eranki went on to describe how the company supports employee wellbeing and helps them achieve a work-life balance.
“We prioritise our employees above and beyond what’s required,” he said.
“Our nurses pretty much work four days a week maximum. This is so that they have ample time to relax, unwind and get up to speed in terms on what the latest is.”
In addition, a member of the management team has check-ins with its staff to make sure everything is going well with them professionally and personally, Eranki said.
“In the past, we did toy with having group activities, having wellbeing sessions,” he said. “And what we found is everyone's idea of wellbeing is different. Some people find comfort in going out on a Friday night and having a few drinks. Other people just want to sit down with a book and a glass of wine. And because the word ‘wellbeing’ itself isn't homogenous, we thought we’d let them disconnect from us and let them do what recharges their batteries.”
Cosmetique has seen compounded benefits of these strategies – from being able to attract top talent to increased loyalty among patients to an uptick in employee morale.
“We also found that our nurses and doctors as well as our managers are a lot happier,” he said. “For example, a lot of the doctors that we have were there from the start of the company.”
Advice for HR teams
Eranki believes a good manager isn’t someone who works 24/7.
“A good manager is one that has excellent time management skills,” he said. “If you look at the best managers out there, they don't actually look busy but they have everything under control; they’re very organized, they manage their time exquisitely. And if somebody does manage their time well, then there's no reason for them to work after hours.
“If somebody's consistently working outside of office hours, then there's a discussion that needs to be had about, are they the right person for the job? Are they struggling in the job?”
While he acknowledged that the right to disconnect may cause discomfort for employers – because they lose a degree of control over their employees – Eranki doesn’t see a business that would be worse off by having this new regulation.
“Understand that it is the front-line staff that interact with the customers,” he said. “And the happier we make them, the happier our customers are.”
