20 October 2026

5 steps to put digital disconnection into practice at work

Learn five steps to apply digital disconnection at work: set hours, define exceptions and channels, assign responsibilities, and protect employees' rest.

Putting digital disconnection into practice takes five decisions: set working hours, define exceptions, organise channels, assign responsibilities and configure out-of-hours handling. A generic policy is not enough.

In brief:

Digital disconnection separates working hours from rest time. It must reflect each company’s hours and structure.
A useful policy specifies working hours, approved channels, exceptions, responsibilities and how to handle urgent requests.
A cloud PBX can apply schedules, call forwarding, queues and messages. It cannot replace an internal policy.
The name, scope, effective date and requirements of any new Spanish regulation must be checked against official sources before decisions are made.

Technology routes calls and notifications. The company must set the rules first, then apply them across its work channels.

What does the new Spanish rule on the right to disconnect require?

The sources provided do not confirm the name, scope or effective date of any new Spanish rule on the right to disconnect. This article must not present a pending change as a current obligation, or claim penalties, deadlines or affected groups without checking the applicable official text.

Before publishing a policy or changing its processes, a company should review:

The published legal text and its effective date.
The company’s obligations and employees’ rights.
How the rules apply to on-call duties, emergencies, shifts and agreed availability.
How they interact with collective agreements, employment contracts and remote-work agreements.
Requirements for consultation, communication, training and record-keeping.

The article must also separate confirmed law from proposals or pending changes. A news report or draft is not enough: check the relevant official source and the version that applies to the company. Until that review is complete, describe any steps as preventive measures, not guaranteed compliance. For practical guidance, see this guide to calls outside working hours.

Which companies and employees does the right to disconnect affect?

In Spain, the right to disconnect matters wherever employees may receive work-related contact outside working hours, whether they work in an office, from home or across both. How it applies depends on the contract, any collective agreement, agreed on-call duties, work schedules and current law.

The device does not matter. Contact may come through a mobile phone, email, WhatsApp, an internal app or a call to a work extension. The policy should cover every channel, including those employees use from home.

Different working arrangements need different rules:

Office: the end of the working day should be reflected in how calls, alerts and unanswered messages are handled.
Remote work: the company must distinguish working hours from personal availability. Telephony for remote teams needs particular attention.
Sales teams: travelling or working with clients does not make a work mobile available at all hours.
On-call duties: define who is on call, when they can be contacted and under what circumstances.
Teams using WhatsApp: the channel needs its own rules. It is not a substitute for planned shifts.

The IT lead should turn these rules into schedules, call forwarding and voicemail settings. Management must first decide which contacts are genuinely urgent.

How should a small business create its right-to-disconnect policy?

A small business needs a working procedure, not just a statement of intent. The policy should say when employees are no longer expected to be available, which channels each team uses, what counts as an urgent matter and who can approve an exception. Consult employee representatives where applicable, communicate the rules and review how they work in practice.

List working hours and channels. Include email, phone, WhatsApp and internal tools. Specify which channel each team uses and when they stop monitoring it.
Define exceptions and owners. Describe which urgent matters justify contact, who assesses them and who approves an exception.
Consult on the draft. Gather input from employee representatives, if there are any, and from the people responsible for each team.
Communicate the rules. Give employees the policy in writing. Explain what happens to messages sent outside working hours and how urgent matters will be handled.
Review what happens in practice. Check incidents, calls outside working hours and exceptions. Managing calls outside working hours helps show where the procedure needs adjusting.

How can you prevent calls and messages outside working hours?

To prevent calls and messages outside working hours, a company needs to turn its internal policy into phone system rules: business hours, call forwarding, recorded messages, queues, extensions and voicemail. Keep business numbers separate from personal numbers, and document any exceptions.

Set up the cloud PBX with a simple set of rules:

Hours: outside working hours, the line plays a recorded message and stops ringing team extensions.
Call forwarding: urgent calls go only to the person on duty, not to the whole team.
Queue: during business hours, calls wait in a queue. Outside those hours, they go to voicemail or another designated channel.
Extensions: each team keeps its extension but receives no call alerts outside its approved hours.
Numbers: customers and suppliers should call a business number, not an employee’s personal phone.

The setup must match what the company has told its staff. If an exception has no named owner, time window or channel, forwarding the call just passes the problem to someone else. For more on out-of-hours calls, see how to handle them without hiring anyone.

What are the risks of breaching the right to disconnect?

A breach can lead to workplace disputes, complaints and administrative liability if the applicable law imposes specific obligations. Without the official text and its effective date, we cannot state what penalties, amounts or deadlines apply. We can recommend a documented policy and records showing that the company follows it.

Separate confirmed risks from consequences that would apply only if a new rule provides for them. Without an official source, do not publish fines, compliance deadlines or specific complaint procedures.

The practical risks a small business should manage are:

Workplace: disputes over availability, contact outside working hours or inconsistent treatment across teams.
Administrative: liability arising from obligations expressly set out in the applicable law.
Operational: poorly defined emergencies, improvised escalation and reliance on personal phones.
Evidence: difficulty showing which rules the company communicated and how it applied them.

Keep the current policy, internal communications about it and any later changes. Record authorised exceptions and who approved them. This documentation does not replace legal review, but it helps explain the company’s approach when a call comes in outside working hours.

Frequently asked questions

Can an employer contact an employee during their holiday?

In Spain, employers should avoid contacting employees about work during their holiday unless a previously defined exception applies. An internal policy should say what counts as an emergency, who may make contact and which channel they should use. If an employee is on call or has a specific obligation to be available, check their contract, the applicable collective agreement and local employment advice.

How can a business handle on-call duties and emergencies without breaching the right to disconnect?

Define on-call duties and emergencies before they arise. Specify what counts as urgent, who can initiate contact, who is available and which channel to use. Put these rules in the internal policy. Keep on-call duties separate from normal availability; do not let an informal expectation to respond extend the working day.

Does the right to disconnect also apply to remote work?

Remote work needs clear rules for disconnecting because work and personal time can easily overlap. Set contact hours, approved channels and criteria for emergencies. Digital tools should not create an expectation that employees are always available.

Can an employer require an employee to use their personal phone?

Do not assume an employee’s personal phone is a work channel. Before requiring its use, check their employment terms, explain why contact is needed and define work-related alternatives. The internal policy should say which number, app or channel to use in each situation, especially outside normal working hours.

What should a useful right-to-disconnect policy include?

Include working and rest hours, approved channels, who is responsible for contact, exceptions, emergency procedures and rules for on-call duties or shifts. Explain how the rules apply to remote work and what happens outside working hours. Share the policy with the team, train managers and review it when the way the business operates changes.

Request a cloud PBX demo to set calling hours, call forwarding and out-of-hours handling.