EMPLOYERS have used the Covid-19 lockdown to pester workers at home leaving them unable to “turn off” after finishing their paid hours, research by Prospect revealed today.

Trade unionists are campaigning for a “right to disconnect” from work at home to be included in the government’s forthcoming Employment Bill on working conditions.

The Bill was announced in 2019 but has yet to appear.

Many workers feel that working from home is like “sleeping in the office” because of the hours they have been expected to work, research commissioned by trade union Prospect found.

The research found that 35 per cent of remote workers said that their work-related mental health had worsened during the pandemic, with 42 per cent it resulted “at least partly” from being unable to switch off from work.

Two-thirds of home workers in Britain want to see a new “right to disconnect” in the Employment Bill, including negotiated rules on when people must not be contacted at home for work purposes. 

Prospect research director Andrew Pakes said: “It is clear that for millions of us, working from home has felt more like sleeping in the office, with remote technology meaning it is harder to fully switch off, contributing to poor mental health. 

“Remote working is here to stay, but it can be much better than it has been in recent months. 

“Including a right to disconnect in the Employment Bill would be a big step in redrawing the blurred boundary between home and work and would show that the government is serious about tackling the dark side of remote working.”