Portugal: It is illegal to send emails and texts outside of business hours

Portugal’s ruling party says the new regulations passed last Friday are a response to the work-from-home boom as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the new rules, employers could face penalties if they contact workers outside of normal business hours. Companies will also have to help pay for costs incurred from working remotely, such as higher electricity and internet bills.

But the amendments to Portugal’s labor law have limits: They won’t apply to companies with fewer than ten employees.

Companies will now face fines if they knowingly contact workers outside of their normal working hours, the new regulation states.

Employers are also prohibited from monitoring their employees while they work from home.

However, a proposal to include a so-called “right to disconnect” – the legal right to turn off work-related messages and devices outside of office hours – was rejected by Portuguese MPs.

Companies also now have to contribute to the costs that workers incur as a result of the shift to remote work. This may include electricity or internet bills, but not water. And employers may recognize these costs as a form of business expense.

The new regulations are also good news for parents with young children. They now have the right to work from home without prior arrangement with their employer until their child turns eight years old.

Measures to tackle loneliness are also included in the telework rule, with companies expected to hold face-to-face meetings at least every two months.

Portugal was the first European country to change its remote work rules as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic in January of this year.

The temporary rules make telecommuting a mandatory option – with a few exceptions – and force employers to provide the tools employees need to get work done from home. .

But as Portugal’s Minister of Labor and Social Security Ana Mendes Godinho said at the Web Summit in Lisbon last week, while remote working during the pandemic offers new flexibility for many people, issues such as unequal access to IT equipment indicate the need for government intervention.

“The pandemic has prompted the need to regulate what needs to be regulated,” she said. “Teleworking can be a ‘game changer’ if we profit from the advantages and reduce the disadvantages.”

Mendes Godinho also said building a healthy telecommuting culture could also have other benefits for Portugal.

“We consider Portugal to be one of the best places in the world for digital nomads and remote workers to live. We want to attract them to Portugal.” , she shared at the event.

Refer to euronews