Michigan 'Right to Disconnect' Bill Would Curb Mandatory After-Hours Work Contact

Michigan State Sen. Erika Geiss has introduced the Workplace Employee Boundaries Act (Senate Bill 948), now before the Labor Committee, which would generally prohibit employers from requiring workers to read or respond to job-related messages outside their assigned hours. The restriction covers emails, texts, and social media messages tied to work duties or scheduling future shifts. Geiss framed the measure as a response to an ‘always-on’ economy that pressures employees to stay perpetually available, arguing it harms well-being and falls hardest on working parents and caregivers.

The bill carves out several exceptions. Workers could be paid for on-call availability under their contracts, or voluntarily set their own hours during which they’d handle work matters. Communications about state or federal emergencies affecting business operations would also remain permitted. Outside those cases, mandatory after-hours contact would be off limits.

Enforcement would run through the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, with violations potentially drawing company fines or owed overtime pay to affected employees. The chief projected cost is administrative: the department would need to produce training materials and handle incoming complaints. Michigan joins a growing list of jurisdictions weighing ‘right to disconnect’ laws as remote and mobile work blur the line between on- and off-hours.