Earlier this month, following an increase in people working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, the Portuguese government passed new labour laws which include a ban on bosses contacting employees outside of working hours.
Published at the end of October, the document proposing the new labour laws explained that workers should have the right to at least 11 consecutive hours of “night rest,” during which they should not be interrupted, unless for emergencies. Bosses will also be expected to meet with members of staff face-to-face every two months.
The rules also require employers to contribute to their staff’s work-from-home expenses, such as internet and electricity.
Ana Mendes Godinho, Portugal’s Minister of Labour, solidarity and social security, said at the recent Web Summit in Lisbon that the pandemic had highlighted telecommuting was a “game changer, giving workers the power to decide where they want to work from, and who for.”
Employers who do not abide by the new rules could be fined, but the laws reportedly do not apply to companies with fewer than 10 members of staff.
Not all of the proposed rules were approved by lawmakers, however. For instance, the Portuguese Parliament reportedly did not pass a proposal to give workers the “right to disconnect” and turn off their work devices at the end of the day. This law has already been introduced in some form in France and Spain., and has also been called for in the UK.
Data has shown that people have been working longer hours while at home during the coronavirus pandemic, than they would have if in the workplace.
