Authored by Senators Joel Villanueva, the Work-from-home bill or Telecommuting Act 2017 is just a signature away to becoming a law after passing the Philippine Congress and the Senate.
Once signed by President Duterte, equal rights and benefits will be given to home-based workers as to the standard private employees in our current industry including, but not limited to, are the rate of pay and rest periods or holidays.
Using a computer or any telecommunicating device, the employers have the option for a flexible working arrangement to its employees while workload and performance standards should be equal with none home-based workers.
Not only the proposed law will give meaningful work-life balance to more Filipinos, but it will also lessen the congestion the traffic in major roads and highways especially in EDSA, Metro Manila while saving in transportation costs.
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Telecommuting Act 2017 or Work-from-home Bill benefits but not limited to
- Receive rate of pay, including overtime and nighttime work, and other similar monetary benefits not lower than applicable legislation and collective agreements
- Have the same or equivalent workload and performance standards of the telecommuting employee
- Have the same access to training and career development opportunities as comparable workers at the employer’s premises and are subject to the same appraisal policies as these workers
- Receive appropriate training targeted at the technical equipment at their disposal and at the characteristics of this form of work organization
- Have the same collective rights as workers at the employer’s premises and no obstacles are placed for communicating with workers representatives
