Contacting employees outside of business hours? In Portugal it will no longer be possible. This is one of the most important points of the law, which will come into force in the coming weeks, which aims to support the rights of remote workers and protect their family life after the pandemic has favored smart working.
It is forbidden to try to contact employees outside working hours (except in emergencies) and companies are obliged to contribute to the additional costs of the same on communications and electricity bills. “Remote working has great advantages, provided you control the disadvantages,” said Ana Mendes Godinho, minister of labor, at the Web Summit in Lisbon.
The law in question was one of the last pieces of legislation to be passed by Portugal’s minority socialist government, with the support of the anti-capitalist left bloc, before the political crisis triggered elections two years early.
Under the law, no discrimination is allowed between remote workers and others in terms of holidays, careers, training, health and insurance arrangements. Companies will also be required to organize regular face-to-face meetings to prevent remote workers from feeling isolated. In addition to protecting workers, the new rules are designed to make Portugal more attractive to so-called digital nomads, and will also add tax breaks designed to attract tech entrepreneurs and other potential investors. “People can both live in Portugal and work for the best companies in the world. The pandemic has accelerated the need to regulate what already had to be regulated before, “reiterated Mendes Godinho.