Amid rising mental health concerns, university scholars demand work-life balance

The scholars argued that though the labour laws capped at eight to twelve working hours per day, in reality, many employees continue to remain connected to their work beyond official hours.

“For instance, receiving an email marked ‘urgent’ at 11 p.m. can immediately create pressure on the employee to respond, blurring the boundaries between professional and personal life. And just like that, the person is back to work even after leaving the office,” they opined.

India boasts one of the youngest and fastest-growing knowledge workforces. “But its legal safeguards have frequently been unable to keep abreast with corporate reality.

The culture also tends to promote the extraneous working weeks, which in certain cases are promoted by the leaders of such industries as evidence of ambition and national development. While this might fuel short-term growth, it comes at a significant long-term cost to the individual,” Ayushi Gupta, a Ph.D Scholar (Law) at the University said.

According to the State of India’s Digital Economy (SIDE) 2025 report, India is the world’s third-largest digitalised country in terms of overall digital adoption, behind the US, China and Australia has a legal right “Right to Disconnect” that does not see “rest” as a luxury, but a legal right.

“Legal reforms mark an encouraging step, yet true transformation occurs only when the culture shifts along with the law. It’s time to leave the mania of glorifying exhaustion and begin to rejoice in equilibrium. Making workplaces healthy does not require grand revolutions; it begins with small deliberate decisions. Normalising working breaks and promoting privacy in the digital realm, investing in mental health, are always that will be paid back in productivity, creativity, and even morale,” said Prof (Dr)Neelu Mehra, Professor of Law at the University.

In a bid to address the worsening work-life balance and rising mental health concerns, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP A.A. Rahim this budget session introduced the Right to Disconnect Bill, which seeks to guarantee employees the right to disengage from work-related communication outside official working hours.