Is the work-from-home arrangement the “new normal”?
The enhanced community quarantine opened a possibility that the work-from-home arrangement maybe the “new normal”.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are forced to halt operations while some resorted to bringing their work home. Republic Act No. 11165 or the Act Institutionalizing Telecommuting as An Alternative Work Arrangement for Employees in the Private Sector allows employees and employers to have this kind of arrangement.
However, DOLE Assistant Secretary Teresita Cucueco said, “There are no changes done in the law so telecommuting as a policy is still voluntary. But even if you say it is voluntary, with the condition now and the proclamation of ECQ, work-from-home has become mandatory in a way and is now the new norm.”
The law is a basis that is guiding employers and workers on the proper adoption of WFH arrangements. In line with this, Federation of Free Workers vice president Julius Cainglet said that it is maybe needed to have a new issuance regarding the WFH arrangement.
“We have received reports that working from home is more taxing and stressful, with working hours longer in some instances. We need to ensure that labor standards continue to be respected even with ECQ,” he stated, based on the report from One News.
According to Cucueco, as many companies are adopting this set up during the ECQ, they are seeing new issues that needed to be addressed “in consultation with stakeholders for the issuance of an advisory,”
Although employers and workers are getting the most out of this, Cucueco said that the situation is going to be different but it is more vital to ensure the safety and health of workers. He added that a system must be created in order to still have fluidity in work, based on the report.
What can you say about this?
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