Half of IDA's members lack clear rules on availability after work

A message pops up on your phone in the evening from work. Should you reply now or wait until tomorrow? For many, the answer is not always clear.  

A new analysis from IDA shows that 52 per cent believe their workplace lacks clear guidelines on when they are expected to be available outside working hours. At the same time, four in ten feel expected to be on call after finishing work.

It can have a negative impact on employee well-being if there are no clear agreements between employer and employee.

'It is important to have clear agreements between employer and employee regarding when one should be available. When clear agreements are in place, this creates a sustainable balance between flexibility and the opportunity to switch off. Ultimately, it is the employers’ responsibility to ensure that this is the case,' says Malene Matthison-Hansen, chair of the Council of Employees at IDA.

Unclear expectations from the workplace can mean that individual employees do not know what is expected of them. And that makes it harder to switch off, says Malene Matthison-Hansen. 

Lower well-being without clear boundaries

Among those who ‘often’ feel that their workplace expects them to be on call, 43 per cent say this has a negative impact on their well-being, whilst the figure is only 17 per cent among those who are expected to be available ‘occasionally’.  

This means that the more often employees are expected to be on call outside working hours, the greater the impact on their wellbeing.

'Many of our members appreciate the flexibility that comes with their work. Some have specialist roles where they occasionally need to be available or provide important advice outside normal working hours. Therefore, the aim is not necessarily more rules, but clearer agreements. The most important thing is that expectations are clear, so that people know when they are at work and when they are off duty,' says Malene Matthison-Hansen.

More than half of those who are often expected to be on call want clear and well-defined rules, according to the IDA survey.  

In Malene Matthison-Hansen’s view, the survey points to a need for clearer guidelines in the workplace regarding when employees are expected to be available – for example, to answer the phone – even when they are not at work.

About the survey

The survey is based on a survey conducted in October 2025 amongst IDA’s private-sector employees, with responses from 14,363 private-sector employees.