Change is coming!

WORK-from-home (WFH), or “telecommute,” is not new to us. In fact, Sen. Emmanuel Joel Villanueva’s bill allowing employees in the private sector to WFH was signed into law on Dec. 20, 2018. The law, Republic Act (RA) 11165 —  “An Act Institutionalizing Telecommuting as an Alternative Work Arrangement for Employees in the Private Sector” or the “Telecommuting Act” — permits private employers to offer a telecommuting program to its employees on a voluntary basis; that is, a work from an alternative workplace with the use of telecommunications and/or computer technologies.

The law emphasizes that the “terms and conditions shall not be less than the minimum labor standards set by law and shall include compensable work hours, minimum number of work hours, overtime, rest days and entitlement to leave benefits. In all cases, the employer shall provide the telecommuting employee with relevant written information in order to adequately apprise the individual of the terms and conditions of the telecommuting program and the responsibilities of employee.” Besides encouraging a balance between life and work, the Telecommuting Law alleviates the heavy traffic issue that these would-be WFH employees have been experiencing daily.