The tendency of the whole world to work remotely, especially due to the coronavirus epidemic, caused the clear line between life and work for employees to deteriorate. Portugal made an interesting decision the other day to restore the life/work balance. The country has banned managers from emailing or texting employees after business hours.
Managers and companies will be penalized if they do not comply with this decision. Companies with more than 10 employees will be fined if they reach their employees after working hours. On the other hand, employers will be allowed to reach their employees in case of a ‘very urgent situation’. The new bill, passed in the Portuguese parliament, will also offer some new opportunities to employees.
Work from home permit can be obtained indefinitely:
The bill also aims to relieve parents working from home. Accordingly, parents with children will be able to obtain work from home indefinitely without the need to apply for the permission of their managers until their children reach the age of 8. In addition, companies can be held responsible for increased energy and internet use as a result of working from home. Companies will be able to pay their electricity and internet bills.
There is another reason why the Portuguese government enacted the new law: to attract more employees to the country. The country’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, announced that they consider Portugal one of the best places in the world for digital nomads and remote workers to choose to live. Decisions coming with the new bill also aim to encourage employees to move to Portugal.
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