Imee wants work-from-home arrangement to be mandatory

Senator Imee Marcos is proposing to make the work-from-home arrangement mandatory as the country battles COVID-19.

Marcos has filed Senate Bill 1448, which makes work-from-home a mandatory option for employees whose physical presence in the workplace is not necessary to complete their job and who have been with the company for at least a year.

“Clearly, a ‘new normal’ of social distancing, new hygiene standards and limited physical contact shall prevail in the future,” Marcos said.

Thus, various sectors have to make major modifications in their work policy so that social distancing measures could be followed, she added.

Senate Bill 1448 amends RA 11165 or the Telecommuting Act which provides for an option for a flexible work arrangement that allows an employee to work from an alternative workplace through the use of telecommunication and/or computer technologies.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed RA 11165 into law on December 20, 2018.

“Should the physical presence of the employee be necessary for a particular task, the employer may require his/her attendance in the workplace, within office hours and during weekdays, but not more than twice a week,” the amendment reads.

Aside from making work-from-home mandatory, the measure also provides that a contract of employment should clearly indicate the eligibility of a particular position for telecommuting.

As of June 27, a total of 34,803 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Philippines, with 1,236 deaths and 9,431 recoveries. —LBG, GMA News