Sales and the Right to Disconnect: How Will It Work?

On Monday (26th August), Australia introduced the right to disconnect. But how will this new rule affect the sales profession, where the majority of roles are far from a typical 9-5??

Before diving in, here’s a snapshot from Fair Work on what this rule entails:?

“Employees of non-small business employers have the right to refuse to monitor, read, or respond to contact (or attempted contact) outside their working hours unless doing so is unreasonable. This includes contact (or attempted contact) from an employer or a third party.” (Fair Work)?

In recent Salesforce research involving over 5,500 sellers, the top challenge identified was meeting the increasing customer expectations and demands. 71% of customers expect real-time communication, which, in my experience, doesn’t end at 5.30 pm.??

So, the big question is how businesses can meet these increasing client demands while also protecting employees from burnout and staying compliant with the right-to-disconnect rule.?

I don’t have a silver bullet solution, and my big disclaimer is that I am definitely NOT an HR expert; however, here are three suggestions I’m currently pondering. I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts in the comments below.?

1. Thrive Time?

Arianna Huffington , Founder of Thrive Global (a well-being business), expects that at times, her team will need to work intensely and out of hours, but then they can take “Thrive Time” to recuperate.?

As a well-being company, Thrive understands that recuperation leads to better productivity, employee well-being, and retention. Having been on the wrong side of burnout before, I can absolutely see the perks of this approach.?

Historically, I’ve always favoured this “give and take” approach, but it only works when give and take is both ways and when both parties are on the same page.??

Like most of my fellow sellers and sales leaders, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve worked weekends and crazy hours to meet year-end/quarter-end deadlines or manage critical client situations. Personally, I’ve always been okay with this as I have then benefited from the flexibility to finish early or attend to personal/family needs. I’ve been fortunate to work for employers who had shared views on give and take.

However, my view has evolved as I’ve had more exposure to unwanted HR situations. As anyone who has managed people knows, what one person considers “reasonable” can differ significantly from another’s perspective. Moreover, Fair Work’s view of what’s reasonable might also differ. To protect everyone, clarity is needed on how an approach like “Thrive Time” would work, what the parameters are, and, in the worst case, whether it would be deemed “reasonable” under Fair Work.?

2. Out of Hours Teams?

I’ve recently seen more businesses investing in out-of-hours teams, which enables real-time responses for the 24/7 digital world we live in.?

While this is an interesting option to explore, financially, it would only make sense if out-of-hours client demand warranted it.?

Additionally, for out-of-hours teams to provide effective client support, they would need background and context, which increases the pressure to keep CRM systems up to date. Otherwise, clients might experience frustration when speaking to someone unfamiliar with their history.?

3. AI & Automation?

Technology can play a huge role here. Automation and AI chatbots can now handle basic inquiries and give clients access to customer support.??

Obviously, the answer here depends on the type of business and the nature of out-of-hours situations. But some options could be:??

• AI with sentiment analysis helps chatbots gauge emotions and ensure escalations are quickly handed to a live agent. B2C already heavily leverages chatbots, and B2B are starting to play catch up and invest now that digital savvy buyers are favouring self-serve solutions.??
• In an ideal world, predictive customer care, using AI, can pre-emptively address an issue before it escalates and investing in predictive technology can reduce those urgent situations.???

The answer??

While I don’t have all the answers, I do believe each business needs to prioritise asap working with their HR team or HR provider to define their approach. Otherwise, there’s a risk of disgruntled employees and/or negative impacts on client experience and support—both of which can have a heavy impact on business growth and reputation.?

So, I’m curious—these are my initial thoughts for this week. What do you think? Comment below!

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