Imee bats for mandatory ‘work from home’ option under new normal

By JOHN CARLO M. CAHINHINAN

Senator Imee Marcos has proposed the mandatory implementation of alternative working arrangements under the government’s new normal policy while the threat of the coronavirus pandemic to people’s lives remains present.

“Clearly, a ‘new normal’ of social distancing, new hygiene standards and limited physical contact shall prevail into the future,” Marcos said, adding that these have forced various sectors to make major modifications in their policy to ensure compliance with social distancing measures.

Marcos has proposed a major amendment to Republic Act No. 11165, or the “Telecommuting Act,” which defines telecommuting as a work arrangement that allows an employee to perform his tasks from an alternative workplace with the use of telecommunication and/or computer technologies.

Under Marcos’ Senate Bill No. 1448, the “work from home” scheme will be a mandatory option offered to employees “whose physical presence in the workplace is not necessary for the completion of his/her job and who have been with the company for at least one year.”

Under SB 1448, a contract of employment should clearly indicate the eligibility of a given position for telecommuting.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Telecommuting Act on December 20, 2018, after Sen. Joel Villanueva steered its passage during the previous Congress.

According to Marcos’ proposal, should the physical presence of the employee be necessary for a particular task, “the employer may require his/her attendance in the workplace, within office hours and during weekdays, but not more than twice a week.”

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)