By Gabriela Baron
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has expanded the work-from-home scheme and urged employers and workers to mutually adopt telecommuting programs to help sustain the country’s economic recovery.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma signed on Friday, Sept. 16, Department Order 237 which contains the revised implementing rules and regulations of the telecommuting law or Republic Act 11165.
The revised rules were the result of almost months of consultations with concerned sectors, DOLE said in a statement.
The Department also passed scrutiny and inputs from members of the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council — a consultative body presided by the Labor secretary and composed of labor and employer representatives.
“These revised rules clarify and adequately address issues and concerns of the telecommuting sector,” Laguesma said.
The new rules also stress that “the terms and conditions of telecommuting shall not be less than minimum labor standards, and shall not in any way diminish or impair the terms and conditions of employment contained in any applicable company policy or practice, individual contract, or collective bargaining agreement.”
Telecommuting employees, the Department noted, are not considered field personnel except when their actual hours of work cannot be determined with reasonable certainty.
“All time that an employee is required to be on duty, and all time an employee is permitted or suffered to work in the alternative workplace shall be counted as hours worked.”
DOLE said the alternative work arrangement “aims to sustain our efforts for economic recovery.” – gp
