Digital disconnection: fines of up to 586,550 pesos
The reform is not yet law: it must pass the Senate and return to the Chamber of Deputies for final ratification.
Sunday, 11 p.m., your phone buzzes: a message from your boss. In Mexico, that scene now has a price tag. The Congress of the Union is weighing fines for anyone who writes to you outside your work hours, and it would extend digital disconnection to all employees, Xataka México reported.
Today that protection has gaps. The right to disconnect is recognized for people who work from home, under Article 330-E of the Federal Labor Law, and for those who work on digital platforms, under Article 291-E. If you go to an office, the law doesn't cover you in the same way. The reform seeks to close that gap.
From home office to any work arrangement
The proposal adds section XXXV to Article 132. It would create an obligation the company could not set aside: respecting your rest, whether you work in person, hybrid or remote. It would also require the company to set availability hours according to the nature and purpose of the employment relationship, and to negotiate with workers or their representatives the rules for using the company's digital channels.
«The law puts a price on abuse; your judgment decides whether you reply.»
There is a detail almost nobody notices: section VIII of Article 3o. Ter extends that respect to breaks within the workday. The short breaks during your shift would also be covered, not just nights and Sundays.
From 29,327 to 586,550 pesos
Article 1,000 of the LFT provides for penalties of 250 to 5,000 UMA, that is, between 29,327 and 586,550 pesos. Article 1,002 adds penalties starting at 5,865 pesos for general violations, such as digital harassment after your shift has ended.
It's worth repeating: it is not law yet. The bill must be approved in the Senate and return to the Chamber of Deputies for ratification. If someone tells you that starting today you can ignore your boss with legal backing, that is not accurate.
Your rest is not a favor from the company
There is something deeper than a fine. Work is a calling: you do your job well because it serves others and because God sees it, not because a midnight message demands it.
Rest is not a reward for productivity either. "Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God" (Exodus 20:9-10, ESV). Jesus put it plainly: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27, ESV).
If your worth depends on answering fast, someone sold you a lie. The law puts a price on abuse; your judgment decides whether you reply. And judgment can be trained: not every urgent message is truly urgent, and not every silence is rebellion.
Three steps you can take this week:
- Save the conversation. Take a screenshot with the date and time, and don't delete anything.
- Ask human resources in writing for your schedule and the policy on communication outside work hours.
- Review your contract and ask what the official channels are. If you work for yourself, set your own schedule and let people know.
Your free time is not a permission you have to request. It is part of a well-ordered life, with a God who works and rests, and a body that needs to stop. Does your job respect your free time?
Sources
- #desconexión digital
- #Ley Federal del Trabajo
- #home office
- #primer empleo
- #descanso
- #presupuesto y trabajo
