Cue Fifth Harmony because the “work-from-home bill” is now officially law in the Philippines.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed Republic Act 11165 or The Telecommuting Act, according to local reports from yesterday.
More commonly known as the “work-from-home bill,” it encourages companies to establish a telecommuting program that offers employees the option to work remotely through the use of technology.
The best part about the bill is that employers are required to treat employees who work remotely the same way as those in the office. This means that their salary, benefits, and work hours should still meet labor standards — no random job orders!
Telecommuting employees will also have the same holidays, workload, and access to training.
Under the law, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that telecommuting employees don’t feel isolated from the rest of the team even when they’re not physically present in the office.
The Department of Labor and Employment has been tasked to establish a telecommuting pilot program in select industries that will last for not more than three years. It will also be responsible for monitoring what works and what doesn’t.
While the bill’s enactment was only made public this week, Duterte signed it on Dec. 20. The final version of the bill was ratified and reconciled by both Houses of Congress in October.
In a Facebook post yesterday, the bill’s principal author Senator Joel Villanueva said that the new law will allow “workers to have work-life balance and provide a flexible work arrangement.”
Well, it better.
Going to the office is a huge effort for many Filipinos, especially those living in Manila because traffic is always bad and public transportation is unreliable.
Here’s hoping this law helps to decongest the city’s roads a bit.
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