Belgian civil servants have been given the legal right to ignore work calls and emails after business hours.

A new law comes into effect in the European country today, granting about 65,000 government employees the right to disconnect from their work in their personal time.

The law was suggested by Civil Service Minister Petra De Sutter in a memo sighted by local media.

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It stated a Federal Civil Servant may not be contacted outside normal working hours, unless "in the event of exceptional and unforeseen circumstances requiring action that cannot wait until the next working period".

The memo further stated a federal civil servant "should not be disadvantaged by not answering the phone or reading work-related messages outside normal working hours," according to reports in Belgian newspaper De Morgen.

Ms De Sutter explained the law was needed to combat "excessive work stress and burn-out" and hoped it would allow "better focus, better recuperation and a more sustainable energy level" in workers.

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https://twitter.com/pdsutter/status/1488133845048303618

Since reports of the law's introduction have been reported around the world, Ms De Sutter has made a Twitter post in English celebrating the worldwide interest.

"Modern times require modern workplaces, and I am proud to say our government is taking the lead in it," she posted.

However, Belgium is just the most recent European country to make the kind of law.

France has had a law preventing workers from being punished for not returning after-hours calls since 2016.

Italy, Spain, Ireland and Portugal also have similar measures in place.

The post Belgian Employees Legally Allowed to ignore out-of-hours work calls first appeared on Indisupport.