Fragen aus dem Arbeitsrecht: Muss ich Nachrichten außerhalb der Arbeitszeit beantworten?
Man hat sich von den Kollegen verabschiedet, den Rechner heruntergefahren und ist mental schon zu Hause. Doch dann flattert noch eine wichtige Nachricht ein. Darf die vorerst unbeantwortet bleiben?
When the workday ends, many employees prefer not to think about work until their next shift begins. However, what happens when an important message arrives during the interim? Do employees have to respond to such communications outside of their designated working hours? "Outside of work hours, an employee owes no labor performance, nor the answer to a message," explains Alexander Bredereck, an expert in labor law.
Essentially, the employer is obligated to ensure that employees can complete their tasks within their working hours. A small exception exists, though. There can be exceptions where a message must also be answered or sent outside of working hours. For instance, mere preparation actions can be mandatory in exceptional cases, such as a brief familiarity with a changed service schedule or starting of work.
Crucial here, though, are also contract and collective agreements regarding work. If the employer is keen on ensuring messages are answered outside working hours, they can agree on readiness with the employee. However, the time the employee spends in readiness is usually compensable.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
