Going above and beyond is part of the culture in many NFPs. Employees answer messages out of hours because a client is in crisis, stay back because an event needs to run, or volunteer extra hours because they believe deeply in the mission.

But when passion quietly becomes an expectation of being constantly “on”, even the most committed employees can reach their limit. Burnout, resentment and staff turnover can follow – particularly in organisations already stretched by limited resources.

Australia’s right to disconnect legislation, which came into effect in August 2024, aims to restore work-life balance by giving employees the right to refuse unreasonable work-related contact outside their working hours.

For NFPs, however, the conversation is more nuanced than simply switching off phone notifications. Responding to community or client needs doesn’t always fit neatly within standard business hours, making the balance between flexibility and staff wellbeing especially important.

So how do NFP leaders build healthy boundaries that protect employees’ personal time without losing the commitment and responsiveness that often power mission-driven organisations? We spoke to Joydeep Hor, founder of employment law consultancy People + Culture Strategies, about how to strike that balance.

What the right to disconnect means for NFPs

Australia’s right to disconnect legislation gives workers the ability to ignore work-related contact outside their regular hours – unless doing so would be “unreasonable”.

The challenge is that what constitutes a “reasonable” or “unreasonable” refusal isn’t always clear. The Fair Work Commission says it may depend on:

• The reason for the contact (or attempted contact)
• How the contact (or attempted contact) is made and how much it disrupts the employee
• Any pay or other compensation the employee receives to be available when the contact (or attempted contact) is made, or to work outside their ordinary hours
• The employee’s role and level of responsibility, and
• The employee’s personal circumstances, including family or caring responsibilities.

For example, it may be unreasonable for an after-hours crisis counsellor to ignore an urgent message from a colleague. But if a manager emails at 8.30pm to reschedule a team meeting, there’s generally no need to respond until the next day.

Likewise, it could be unreasonable for senior staff to refuse after-hours contact – personal circumstances permitting – but reasonable for  award-covered workers to refuse after-hours contact if they were not being compensated.

Hor says the matter ultimately comes down to good communication – potentially as part of the onboarding process for a role.

“Transparent and early communication is critical,” he says. “Employers should create an environment where, if someone feels they’re being asked to do things that were materially different to what their contract required or what they understood their role to be, then the matter can be discussed.”

It’s also worth noting that the law does not stop employers from contacting staff outside regular working hours. It simply means employees may be entitled to ignore those messages.

For NFPs, what constitutes a reasonable refusal is no different from any other workplace – it depends on the circumstances. That’s why creating a culture of open communication is so important.

“If NFP organisations are hearing from their people that, ‘I’ve got a right to disconnect and you’re infringing that right’, then that’s a wake-up call to employers,” Hor says. “When employees are speaking out, the real issue is not about their right to disconnect. The real issue is about a lack of connection they have with their employer.”

Ultimately, the legislation provides a framework for setting expectations around after-hours contact. But whether employees feel able to disconnect depends on the culture your organisation creates.

Recognising the “always-on” culture in NFPs

Hor says that, despite being introduced with “much fanfare”, Australia’s right to disconnect legislation hasn’t actually led to much change since it came into force.

“There’s hardly been any litigation, controversy or challenge in relation to the new law,” he says. “I’d go so far as to say, out of all the innovations in employment legislation in the past decade, it has been the one that has fizzled the most.”

Whether or not the law has changed workplace behaviour, the blurred boundaries between work and personal life remains a persistent issue for many Australian workplaces.

The 2025 ELMO Employee Sentiment Index – which surveyed more than 1,000 Australian employees – found 62% of employees had responded to after-hours work messages simply to appear committed or avoid being judged.

This expectation to always be “on” has tangible consequences for both career prospects and mental health. One in six employees reported facing consequences for not responding to after-hours messages – ranging from being overlooked for promotions to being reprimanded by leaders who questioned their commitment. Meanwhile, 40% of respondents said they felt burnt out.

These pressures can be especially pronounced in the NFP sector, where staff are often balancing complex community or client needs with limited funding and lean teams. Employees who care deeply about their work may also feel compelled to put the mission ahead of their own wellbeing. Without clear boundaries, organisations can unintentionally reinforce a culture where constant availability becomes the norm.

As one NFP CEO reported: “My staff will just keep going because of the client, but what they are telling me is, ‘I’m burnt out and I’m going to fall over’.”

Hor says: “In all likelihood, that’s going to contribute to resentment. It could contribute to that person waking up one day and saying, ‘Hey, I go above and beyond, where’s my recognition?’”

Over time, a culture of constant availability can take a cumulative toll on an employee’s professional and personal lives – making it harder to switch off, maintain healthy relationships and sustain long-term careers in the sector. And losing an employee can be expensive – according to the Australian HR Institute, on average it costs Australian employers $28,500 to replace an employee lost to burnout or other factors, once all the costs are taken into account.  The challenge for NFP leaders, then, isn’t eliminating flexibility or commitment. It’s creating healthy boundaries that allow people to sustain both within the organisation over the long term.

Practical strategies for creating healthier boundaries

Research from Curtin University in Perth suggests organisations are most successful in embedding the right to disconnect when leaders and HR teams focus on both policy and workplace culture. Here are three practical ways NFP leaders can put that into practice.

1. Be clear about expectations of employees

The first way HR teams or organisational leaders can support the right to disconnect is by setting clear expectations from the outset. That includes creating or updating workplace policies to outline when out-of-hours communication is appropriate, what constitutes an urgent matter and when a response can reasonably wait until the next working day. You can then reinforce those expectations by including this in onboarding for new employees, educating existing employees and managers about appropriate after-hours contact and providing oversight to ensure they’re applied consistently across the organisation.

It’s also worth reviewing whether those expectations are reflected in employees’ roles. Position descriptions should clearly outline any requirements for out-of-hours work, while remuneration arrangements should appropriately recognise additional responsibilities. This is particularly important for NFPs during busy periods or emergency responses, where additional hours may be required and expectations can easily become blurred.

Hor says leaders should regularly ask whether organisational needs are being reflected in employees’ roles and responsibilities: “What do we need from all our employees, regardless of what their specific role might be? Have we properly and adequately mapped those needs to our expectations of individuals?”

Setting expectations also means helping employees understand when after-hours contact is genuinely necessary and when it can wait until the next working day. Having those conversations early can reduce uncertainty and help employees feel more confident about when they can disconnect.

2. Keep communication open

Hor says NFP leaders need to be flexible and responsive as organisational needs evolve, reviewing how work is managed and whether expectations remain aligned.

He says changing circumstances raise a number of practical questions for leaders: “How do we then manage the way in which work is executed by individuals? How are we monitoring that they are doing it in accordance with those needs? What happens if those needs shift? How collaborative and consultative are we?”

The Curtin University research echoes the importance of ongoing dialogue, suggesting organisations are more successful in embedding the right to disconnect when leaders engage with staff about workload and wellbeing rather than relying on policies alone.

Simple workplace practices can also help support healthy boundaries – including:

• Sending delayed-send emails for non-urgent communication after hours, or
• Suggesting employees don’t set up access to their work email or messaging apps on their mobiles unless it’s absolutely necessary, or
• Encouraging staff to mute notifications after hours.

Hor says these kinds of initiatives work best when they’re discussed openly with staff, rather than becoming a set of hard and fast rules.

“If an organisation is particularly concerned someone is going to assert that their right to disconnect has been compromised, then those kinds of granular considerations are absolutely appropriate to be implementing or at least debating,” he says.

“The key is always about good, robust, honest communication and avoiding anyone feeling either surprise or disappointment.”

In practice, that means creating regular opportunities for two-way conversations about workload and wellbeing, rather than waiting until someone is overwhelmed. One-on-one check-ins can help managers discuss changing priorities, while debriefs after particularly busy periods and encouraging staff to speak up when they’re approaching capacity can help identify issues early and prevent them from escalating.

3. Support enthusiasm without encouraging burnout

The Curtin University research also highlights the important role managers and leaders play in shaping what’s considered “normal” at work. That includes modelling healthy work-life boundaries and supporting recovery after particularly demanding periods.

Hor says NFP leaders should pay attention to the emotional drivers behind overwork.

“If someone is doing too much and they don’t really need to be, then ask, how do we manage that? How do we address that with that particular individual, recognising that we don’t want to deflate their enthusiasm and energy, or come across as being ungrateful?”

Rather than simply thanking staff for going above and beyond, leaders could also ask whether those extra hours are sustainable and what support might be needed. That could mean reviewing workloads after major projects or emergency responses, redistributing work across the team, encouraging staff to take time in lieu or annual leave, or simply checking in to make sure employees don’t feel they need to be constantly available to demonstrate their commitment.

Ultimately, the experts suggest that leaders set the tone. By showing that rest and recovery are valued, your organisation’s leaders can help create a culture where commitment to the mission remains sustainable over the long term.

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The right to disconnect doesn’t need to limit employees’ commitment to your organisation or your mission. It’s about recognising that people do their best work when they have the opportunity to switch off and return with renewed energy.

For NFP leaders and HR professionals, that means creating a culture where healthy boundaries are supported. When people understand their responsibilities and feel comfortable having honest conversations about workload, they’re better placed to sustain both their wellbeing and their commitment to your organisation’s mission.

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