SINCE the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, many employers and employees have found it mutually advantageous to implement a work-from-home arrangement. As the new working mode gains traction and the internet connectivity becomes reliable, the more businesses and workers consider it convenient to push work-from-home.
There have been various studies on the advantages of the work-from-home arrangement for both management and personnel. For employees, this means freedom and flexibility, as they can do day planning that takes into consideration both their work and home life, as long as they do the set hours at the right time. The working schedule also saves time, money, resources and makes for a more satisfying work/life balance.
For employers, work-from-home translates into cost savings in rent, utilities, cleaning and office maintenance, equipment, and furniture. Personnel communication is enhanced because remote working prompts collaboration, and productivity increases as remote meetings tend to focus only on the agenda, leaving the workers with more time to get the job done.
‘While being pro-labor, this bill
by Sen. Tolentino should start
a healthy debate among business and labor sectors, even as it
aims to institutionalize the
work-from-home arrangement.’
If sometimes employers become overbearing on their employees working from home, workers can find an ally in Sen. Francis “Tol” Tolentino. The senator from Cavite has filed a bill proposing penalties on employers who intrude on workers’ “rest hours” to prevent tasks and meetings from bleeding into personal time as many shift to work-from-home arrangements.
In the explanatory note to Senate Bill No. 2475, Tolentino said that remote work undertakings have helped work to continue despite the pandemic. He said, however, that “sometimes, technology and work-from-home arrangements distort the idea of work and home from the point of view of the employees.”
He said that technology and the internet have made workers “virtually always at the beck and call of their employers” even beyond official work hours. Tolentino said the power of control of employers now overreaches beyond the 8-hour working day through the use of phone and email. The proposed measure says any waiver of the right to rest hours or any advance consent to perform overtime work shall be void.
Citing a study from non-governmental organization Eurofound, Tolentino said that people who regularly work from home are more than twice likely to exceed the maximum 48 working hours per week, versus those working on employer’s premises.
“While we recognize the benefits of work-from-home and telecommuting arrangements, they have thinned the line between work and personal space and time,” Tolentino said.
While being pro-labor, this bill by Sen. Tolentino should start a healthy debate among business and labor sectors, even as it aims to institutionalize the work-from-home arrangement.
