.gif)
.png)
.gif)
.gif)
The Right to Disconnect at Work – Is it A Legal Matter?
A European Parliament majority has voted for a law that grants workers the right to digitally disconnect from work without facing negative repercussions. MEPs are...
Read Full Article
The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities, Workplace & Built Environment Community
It’s Now Illegal in Portugal for Your Boss To Text You After Work
11 November 2021
We all have the right to disconnect from work – but the Portuguese government has gone a step further in ensuring this.
Portugal's Socialist Party has approved new rules where employers of more than ten people could be fined for contacting employees outside of office hours.
What Are the New Rules?
- Employers will have to contribute to electricity and internet bills incurred by home working.
- Companies cannot monitor their employees while they work at home.
- Working parents can work from home without prior arrangement with bosses, up until their child is eight years old.
Euronews also reports that measures to tackle loneliness are also included in the remote working rules, with companies expected to organise face-to-face meetings at least every two months.
Burnout in an “Always On” Culture
Being always contactable by your boss can lead to stress and anxiety, as well as feeling that you must always be “present” at work no matter the circumstances. Research by The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development showed that 77 per cent of employers have observed presenteeism in employees who are working from home in the last year. Presenteeism, is the act of continuing to work when unwell, and it's highlighted an "always on" work culture, says the CIPD.
The survey of 668 people professionals, representing 2.7 million employees, also found leaveism – working outside of contracted hours or using annual leave to work or when ill – is an issue, with seven in ten (70 per cent) employers observing this unhealthy behaviour over the same period.
Would you welcome a similar law in the UK, where your boss would be legally prevented from bothering you outside work hours? Let us know on Twitter using the hashtag #PortugalWorkingRules
Picture: a photograph of a person looking at their smart phone
Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 11 November 2021
Share
Related Articles
Government Proposes ‘Right to Switch Off’
The government is proposing to consult on the “right to switch off” for employees. This would give employees the right to digitally disconnect from...
Read Full ArticleUK Government Introduces Day-One Right to Request Flexible Working
Millions of employees across the country are set to benefit from new legislation that means flexible working can be requested from the first day of employment. The...
Read Full ArticleMental Health Awareness Week – Combatting Loneliness
The Mental Health Foundation started Mental Health Awareness Week 21 years ago, and it has grown to become one of the biggest awareness weeks across the UK and...
Read Full ArticleSpotlight Interview – Dr Alisha Damani – Stress Awareness Month 2022
To mark Stress Awareness Month, we spoke to Dr Alisha Damani, Founder of The Medic Today, about how facilities managers can use their influence to promote wellbeing at...
Read Full ArticleWellbeing and Mental Health Drops Down Business Agenda
Despite wellbeing remaining an ongoing concern for workers, CIPD research suggests that mental health is beginning to slip down the business agenda amongst...
Read Full ArticleEating Disorders Awareness Week – Employer Training
Eating disorders affect one in fifty people in the UK – how can employers provide support? To support Eating Disorders Awareness Week, TWinFM has collated...
Read Full ArticleProtecting Mental Health Under Plan B Restrictions
As we familiarise ourselves with Plan B restrictions, what can we do to help employees protect their mental health? The most recent Office for National Statistics data...
Read Full ArticleSuffering in Silence for Building Sector Workers
More than a third of employees in the architecture, engineering and construction sector would not talk to their employer if they were experiencing a health issue, having...
Read Full ArticleACAS Shares Advice on Hybrid Working
ACAS has shared new advice for employers wanting to support hybrid working and execute it fairly. The pandemic has shown us that not everyone is treated...
Read Full Article.png)
