Portugal approves law prohibiting employers from contacting employees after work

The Portuguese government has passed new labour legislation on working from home, providing more security for people who work outside of the office.

According to Portugal’s Socialist government, the new measures are in response to a trend of more employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. It stated that while it sees the benefits of working from home, it wants to change the labour laws to accommodate it.

Companies that infringe on the privacy of employees or their families will face additional penalties, and employers will be required to compensate employees for work-related expenses incurred at home.

The new guidelines state that companies should not contact employees outside of office hours unless there are extraordinary circumstances.

Staff should meet with their bosses at least every two months to avoid worker isolation.

Additionally, employers should reimburse employees for personal expenses incurred at home, such as power or internet bills.

A bill that would have given workers the right to switch off professional communication equipment when they were not at work was defeated by lawmakers.

Fines will be imposed on companies that do not follow the guidelines.

The laws were approved as one of the last acts of parliament before it was dissolved in preparation for a snap election in January when workers’ rights are expected to be a prominent topic.