Workers In Mexico Now Have The Constitutional Right To Ignore Their Bosses After Hours Without Fear Of Losing Their Jobs

Work-life balance feels like it’s becoming harder and harder to achieve in our fast-paced world. Many employees feel like leaving the office or logging off for the day doesn’t actually mean they’re done with work because they continue to respond to their boss after hours.

In a move that is probably going to make a lot of Americans jealous, Mexico recently enshrined workers’ right to ignore their bosses when they’re off the clock with an actual constitutional amendment. This brings Mexican workers one step closer to experiencing the physical and mental health benefits that come with being able to actually step away from work-related responsibilities.

Mexico passed the landmark amendment in March, allowing employees to leave work within the hours they’re actually paid for.

A report from Tech Fixated called it “the most significant overhaul of Mexican labor law in a generation.” Apparently, people in Mexico are used to working long hours and receiving and replying to communication from their bosses at all hours.

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The legal reform obviously doesn’t do anything to change work culture and expectations in the country, although that may come with time. Instead, it forces employers to create guidelines about contacting employees after hours and actually stick to them. If a worker doesn’t get back to their boss when the work day is over, their boss can’t fire them for not responding.

Experts believe that the change will impact 13.5 million workers to begin with, as well as an additional 27 million more over time. The legislation also included new rules for overtime and a concrete plan to shorten the workweek from 48 hours to 40 hours by 2030.

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Mexico isn’t the first country to pass laws about what’s known as the ‘right to disconnect.’

In 2017, France was the first country to give workers the legal right to ignore work-related emails after the work day was over. In the years since then, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Italy, and Kenya have followed suit with similar legislation.

Obviously, the U.S. has no such restrictions on bosses contacting workers after hours. It’s completely normal for American employees to receive emails, texts, or even calls from their managers after they clock out, and they often feel obligated to answer so they can stay on their boss’ good side.

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Workplace consultant Pete Havel thinks this stems from the competitive nature of the U.S. workplace. “We’re pretty entrepreneurial as individuals and we want that advantage over a colleague,” he explained. “We want to be involved in that big project coming up.”

Havel said that both the employer and employee must work to set boundaries in this situation, but it’s difficult to see how that responsibility should fall on the shoulders of workers who are doing everything they can to avoid losing their jobs.

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Our society makes it seem like stepping away from work for any length of time is a bad thing.

Taking breaks from work, whether it’s an actual vacation or just a few hours away from your desk, has multiple benefits. It breaks the cycle of stress that it’s easy to fall into while working, which makes it easier to rest. It also increases your cognitive functioning and productivity levels, which makes you a more effective employee in return.

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Our culture doesn’t really give us permission to do that, though. Instead, we’re encouraged to just keep going no matter what, and no matter when. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Behavioral Health concluded that employees felt like a good work-life balance was imperative for their health and family relationships, but there probably aren’t many employees who would claim to have such a balance.

Technically, even in the U.S., employees don’t have to respond to their boss after hours unless that’s specifically stated in their job description. But a culture of hustling to get ahead not only discourages ignoring your boss, but also means you could face repercussions for doing so. Maybe it’s time for us to learn from our Mexican neighbors.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.