It's super frustrating, but sometimes, there's nothing you can do about it, right?

Well, not quite, because Portugal did something about it.

Promoting healthier work-life balance

To safeguard the mental health of all employees, the Portugal government has passed a rule that bans bosses from messaging their staff after working hours.

According to a report by Euronews, the decision was made after employees were forced to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As such, the country's ruling Socialist Party has approved legislation that will ban bosses from disturbing staff who work from home to promote a healthier work-life balance.

Under the new labour laws, employers could face penalties if they contact their staff after they clock out of the 'office', or before they even start work.

In addition to that, bosses will also be banned from monitoring their staff while they work away from the office.

To top it all off, employers will also have to help pay for expenses incurred by employees working from home, such as higher electricity and internet bills. The companies can write off the electricity and internet bills as business expenses, the news site reported.

The new rules also benefit parents of young children, as they will also have the right to work from home without having to prearrange it with their bosses.

We are loving Portugal already!

There are limits though

However, there are a few caveats to the new labour law though.

For one, companies that have fewer than ten employees are exempted from the new law.

Employees are also not allowed to switch off work-related devices outside office hours as Portuguese lawmakers have rejected the "right to disconnect" proposal when passing the new labour law.