Code of Practice on the Right to Disconnect
aka Right to Disconnect, RTD, WRC Code of Practice on Right to Disconnect
WRC Code of Practice giving Irish employees the right to disengage from work outside normal hours, in force since 1 April 2021. Admissible in WRC and Labour Court proceedings.
Last reviewed May 2026
Definition
The Code of Practice on the Right to Disconnect was issued by the Workplace Relations Commission under section 42 of the Industrial Relations Act 1990 and came into operation on 1 April 2021. It establishes three rights for employees: the right not to routinely have to perform work outside normal working hours, the right not to be penalised for refusing to attend to work matters outside those hours, and a duty to respect another person's right to disconnect by not routinely emailing or calling outside normal working hours. The Code is not standalone primary legislation, but failure to follow it can be relied on by either side in proceedings under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, and other employment statutes. Employers are expected to develop a written Right to Disconnect policy after consultation with employees, addressing how out-of-hours contact is handled, how on-call arrangements are scoped, and how working hours are recorded for remote and hybrid workers. The policy should integrate with the employer's duties to record hours under the Organisation of Working Time Act, and with health and safety risk assessments for remote work.
Why it matters for software choice
The Code is enforced indirectly through OWT working-time records and stress-related health and safety claims. HR and time-tracking software that automatically records work activity timestamps, flags out-of-hours patterns, and keeps the employee-acknowledged Right to Disconnect policy on file gives employers an evidentiary defence. Email-only enforcement does not.
Authority sources
- WRC Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Right to Disconnect (www.workplacerelations.ie)
- Industrial Relations Act 1990 (www.irishstatutebook.ie)
Software categories this affects
Vendors covered by this term
HRLocker
Irish-built HR software for the full employee lifecycle
Bizimply
Workforce management for hospitality, retail, and multi-location Irish businesses
BambooHR
Intuitive HR platform for Irish SMEs who need hiring, onboarding, and people management
HiBob
Modern HR platform designed for mid-size companies with strong culture and engagement tools
Sage HR
Lightweight HR platform from Sage, formerly CakeHR, with leave and performance management
Personio
EU-first HR platform with GDPR-compliant data centres and payroll provider integrations
Employment Hero
All-in-one HR, payroll, and benefits platform expanding across Europe
Workvivo
Employee experience platform - founded in Cork, acquired by Zoom
Related terms
Organisation of Working Time Act 1997
Primary Irish statute governing maximum weekly working hours, daily and weekly rest periods, breaks, Sunday premiums, public holidays and annual leave for most employees.
Right to Request Remote Working
Statutory right for Irish employees with six months service to formally request remote working. Created by the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023.
Workplace Relations Commission
Ireland's statutory body that resolves employment disputes, inspects workplaces and adjudicates complaints under most employment, equality and industrial relations legislation.