(CNN) - From tablets to smart phones, technology keeps us more connected than ever, 24/7 and not just to family and friends but to our jobs, as well. Brazil's president has approved legislation aimed at dealing with that.
It makes employees who answer work e-mails after their shifts end eligible for overtime.
A cell phone ringing or alerting because of business is not the sound most people want to hear in the middle of dinner, but in Brazil, employees might now be a little more likely to respond. A new law says work emails and calls make Brazilians eligible for overtime.
Labor lawyer Rodrigo Zacchi says the law is a response to reality. He says, "virtually 24 hours a day, employees are connected to their phone or email, always at the disposition of their employer."
Some workers say it's necessary, "We have a set number of hours that we are contracted for," he says, "but we end up on call 24 hours a day."
Others are critical. "I think it's going to be hard because it's kind of expected", a woman says. "A lot of times the company gives you a phone exactly so you can answer an email even on a weekend."
Companies in Brazil already complain about hefty retirement compensation and other worker benefits. As they increasingly compete with cheap imports, many workers are concerned that companies will take preventative action. "From what I hear from friends in other offices is that there are attempts to shut down the servers so people don't even have access to their emails after hours to ensure they don't have to pay overtime," says a worker.
Experts say it's still not clear how the law will be enforced. For the most part, they don't expect companies to voluntarily start counting up all those hours spent answering emails after work. The supreme labor court is expected to take up the issue next month. In the meantime, labor lawyers say all those old phone records and emails will definitely come in handy if you get laid off and want to take your bosses to court for extra compensation.
