Work-life balance and Industry 4.0 in the legal framework of the European Union

The interest in work-life balance is not new. In the field of labour law, it relates to other important issues, such as labour rights, equality and non-discrimination, protection against dismissal, safety and health at work, organisation of working time and new forms of work. In addition, work-life balance is a dynamic concept that has experienced, and continues to experience, the “great transformations” affecting the world of work at large. The reason for revisiting now this concept within the European Union legal framework is to be found in two new contexts: on the one hand, the European Pillar of Social Rights and, on the other, Industry 4.0.