04:05
ISSUE 3
working remotely. Also ensuring that the employers don’t get unwanted notices for employees working remotely is another area of concern. Mental Wellness: As boundaries between work and life blur, employees might find it difficult to balance either. A statistics report by Zippia Research mentioned 86% of full-time remote employees, experience burnout. Besides, opportunities for social interactions with coworkers reduce significantly, leading to risk of isolation. The Telecommuting Act of 2019 As a favoured hub for outsourced professionals, the Philippines had already embraced the concept of remote work even before COVID-19. The Telecommuting Act of 2019 (‘the Act’), effective from 10 May 2019 was introduced to protect the rights of telecommuting workers and ensure that they receive the same treatment and employee benefits as their on site co-workers. Revised Telecommuting Rules On September 16th, 2022, the DOLE passed the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Act. These revisions explicitly addressed the matters of the telecommuting sector and revolved around the following key points: 1. Telecommuting Parameters: The term ‘telecommuting’ is clarified with definitions for ‘Alternative workplace’, ‘Telecommunication’, and ‘Computer technology’. The
continued to pose several challenges. Some of them include:
1. Additional costs: Significant technology and financial
investments are required to ensure proper equipment supply, setting up emergency procedures and other operational workings. A study by Alliance Virtual Offices found that more than 75% of remote employees pay for their home office-related costs. 2. Regular training: Regular training may be required to ensure managers and HR teams can maintain employee productivity and engagement with advanced technology and tools. The remote workers also may need cybersecurity training in regular intervals to ensure the company data is not at risk to cyberattacks. The same study by Alliance Virtual Offices shows that since the beginning of the pandemic the rate of cyberattacks have risen by 238%. 3. Managing compliances: Tracking work hours accurately is one of the biggest concerns leading to non-compliances for employees “As a favoured hub for outsourced professionals, the Philippines had already embraced the concept of remote work even before COVID-19.”
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online