Portugal, forbidden to contact employees outside working hours

A better balance between private life and working hours: Portugal has passed a series of laws to protect digital workers, now that the pandemic has multiplied the number of smart workers exponentially.

The new rules provide pecuniary sanctions for those employers who try to contact employees outside working hours. In addition, they establish the obligation of reimburse employees for extra expenses due to work from home – such as rising gas and electricity bills – and a ban on monitoring workers engaged in remote work. The new laws, however, do not apply to companies with fewer than ten employees.

“The pandemic has accelerated the need for regulation,” said Ana Mendes Godinho, Portuguese Minister of Labor and Social Security. “Teleworking can represent a “turning point” if we benefit from the advantages and reduce the disadvantages. We consider Portugal one of the best places in the world where digital nomads and remote workers can choose to live, and we want to attract them to Portugal ”. This is the other reason why the new rules at work have been approved.

According to theAssociated Pressin addition, additional rules should also be implemented to support those working from home. Among these, to avoid the risk of isolation and loneliness, the planning of a mandatory face-to-face meeting with the bosses every few months and, for parents of young children, the right to work from home with children up to 8 years of age without having to agree in advance with employers

Not all proposals, however, have been approved by Parliament. For example, a law on the “right to disconnect” has not been passed, which would give workers the ability to turn off their devices and devote themselves to family, leisure and themselves at the end of working hours.

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