TUCP prods more employers to implement WFH scheme for workers after DOLE order

FOLLOWING the release of the expounded rules for telecommuting, the country’s largest labor group urged more companies to implement the work-from-home (WFH) scheme to boost the productivity of their operations. The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said the newly released Department Order (DO) No. 237 of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) further clarifies the provisions of the Telecommuting Act, which makes its implementation easier.

“Anchoring telecommuting programs on voluntariness and mutual consent, the revised IRR [Implementing Rules and Regulations] ensure that this alternative work scheme will proceed with the rights, wages, and benefits of our workers safeguarded,” TUCP President Raymond C. Mendoza said in a brief statement issued last Monday.

The labor leader noted telecommuting would help both employers and workers cope with the effects of the pandemic and the spiking prices of oil and basic commodities.

“Certain studies discovered that working from home has the potential of further increasing productivity. Further, the contribution of the benefits of improved work-life balance and the flexibility afforded by this alternative work scheme to an employee’s productivity and wellbeing cannot be understated,” Mendoza said.

Under DO 237, DOLE expounded on the responsibilities of employers in implementing telecommuting, which includes shouldering the facilities, equipment and supplies of their workers in an “alternative work place.”

It also said telecommuting workers will not be considered as “field personnel” only if their actual hours of work can be determined with reasonable certainty by their employer.

The order also reiterated the provisions of its original version such as ensuring telecommuting workers will have the same rights and benefits as their counterparts, who are working in offices.

“TUCP urges employers to properly implement these provisions and for DOLE to regularly evaluate their implementation to ensure that the welfare of our workers, especially those working in alternative workplaces, are not taken for granted,” Mendoza said.