Portugal restricts bosses from contacting employees after office hours; all you need to know

If constant calls from your office spoil your free time, you just might want to consider shifting to Portugal as the country has passed a new law that imposes fines on employers for contacting workers after office hours. The coronavirus-induced remote working has been hard on many people. Several employees around the world have complained of receiving constant messages and calls from their companies despite having completed their normal work hours. According to the Portuguese parliament, the new labour laws will ensure healthier work-life balance for employees. The laws also forbid employers from monitoring employees who are working from home. The rules are applicable to organisations with more than 10 workers. As per the new rules, companies must also contribute to expenses including electricity and Internet, which employees have incurred due to the shift to remote working during the pandemic. These costs can be written off as business expenses by the employers according to Euronews. As per the laws passed by the country’s Socialist Party government, the rules also require employees to meet face-to-face with their bosses once every two months to tackle the loneliness and isolation associated with remote working. Also, the employees with children have the right to work remotely without having to arrange it beforehand with the boss, till their kids reach the age of eight years. The measures are aimed at making Portugal an attractive destination for remote working and “digital nomads”, according to VICE. The country’s Labour and Social Security Minister, Ana Mendes Godinho, said the government wanted to attract remote workers looking for a change of scenery, adding that “Telework can be a ‘game changer’ if we can profit from the advantages”. Godinho added that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to regulated remote working. While the new rules have brought a sigh of relief to many remote workers in the country, some rules, such as the “right to disconnect” were not passed by the parliament. The provision meant that workers could switch off their work devices.