By Tamlyn Canham
Portugal means business when it comes to ensuring that its citizens get the rest they need when they clock off from work.
Remote workers in the country are celebrating a new labour law that makes it illegal for their bosses to contact them after work hours.
Employers can now be fined if they call or text their workers when they are not on the clock. According to The Mirror, employers can only contact workers outside of work hours in exceptional circumstances.
They will also have to compensate remote workers for expenses such as electricity and internet costs.
Workers with children under the age of eight automatically have the right to work from home, according to Portugal Resident.
Remote workers will, however, be required to meet with their bosses at least every two months.
Portugal has reviewed its labour laws after scores of people started working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Social media reaction
Social media users have praised Portugal for protecting remote workers. Some Twitter users joked that having more than one Zoom meeting a month should also be banned.
Others suggested that “reply to all” email threads should also be given the boot.
“It’s like they want us to move there,” one Twitter user teased.
“That’s a fantastic move. The intrusion of constantly dealing with work & not being able to switch off from work is detrimental to family life & emotional well-being,” another Twitter commented.
That’s a fantastic move. The intrusion of constantly dealing with work & not being able to switch off from work is detrimental to family life & emotional well-being
— capellarec (@Capellarec) November 8, 2021
But not everyone thinks the new labour laws will work. One man says the laws are “extreme” and don’t “account for flexible work schedules and different timezones.”
Right to disconnect means you are not forced to check your work communication channels after hours. They can send an email whenever, but they can’t expect you to reply to it outside work hours.
— foca (@godfoca) November 8, 2021
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