TELECOMMUTING LAW REVIEW TO START SOON

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is now set to review the effectiveness of Republic Act No. 11165 (RA) or the Telecommuting Law to determine gaps in its implementation in the last three years.

In an online forum on Wednesday, Labor and Employment Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma disclosed the legislation is now due for its first review after it was passed in 2019.

The assessment will be conducted by DOLE in coordination with the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“We are now fixing the schedule [for the review], which will be convenient for DOF and the DTI since presently they are preoccupied. But it will be ASAP (as soon as possible),” Laguesma said in an SMS when asked about the timeline for review.

The labor chief finds the work arrangement—where workers could perform their duties away from their workplaces—desirable due to the advantages it provides to both employees and management.

He said the implementation of RA 11165 was timely, since it coincided with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced many employees to work from their homes as lockdowns were in place for extended periods.

However, Laguesma said he wants to “firm up” its implementation, specifically by clarifying the “deliverables” for employees while working remotely.

As for employers, Laguesma said he wants to know how they are ensuring the occupational safety and health of their workers engaged in telecommuting.

Laguesma said he also wants to look into the potential impact of telecommuting on businesses that depend on workers’ activity for market traffic.

He said he got some feedback on the potential reduction in business activities around offices, which are implementing telecommuting, since there will be fewer workers onsite.

“So they have a perceived loss [in revenue]. But that is just potential. It also has potential [revenue] gain, which will be transferred to other establishments near the homes of workers,” Laguesma pointed out.

Under RA 11165, DOLE should establish a telecommuting pilot program for some sectors for a period of not more than 3 years to review the implementation of the law.

The results of the review will then be submitted to Congress.