Work-from-home is the new normal due to the covid-19 pandemic. It’s been over a year since the world shifted to remote work and schooling. Regardless of most companies opening up many companies have decided to stay remote.
Work from home turned out to be more stressful to employees than imagined. The idea of work from home-made employees think that work and the hours would be less but it was also stretched. Employers would contact employees and ask them to work even after the completion of working hours to put an end to such extra and after-hours work Portuguese government has imposed a new law where employers will be penalized if they work after hours.
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As a matter of fact, since covid-19, people have been working from home for 18 months. This has led to an increase in office calls, group calls, zoom meetings, and conference calls in recent years. Digital communication is the only solution because you can’t come to the office to talk to coworkers. Portugal passed new labor laws after receiving complaints from the government that they could not cope with the stress.
As a result, bosses and team leaders are not able to call and harass staff after work hours. In other words, the Portuguese government has introduced new labor laws that require bosses not to send any messages or phone calls after working hours, as well as not to be forced to do extra work. Warned that it would face fines if it violated the rules.
Apart from that, the government has also asked the employers to pay the expenses incurred by the customers working from home i.e., internet charges, electricity bills and write off the expenses as business expenses.
Portugal becomes the first country to set a rule that would protect the employee’s interest.
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