Remote workers in Portugal could see a healthier work-life balance under new labour laws approved by the country’s parliament.
Working from home can mean never being able to switch off and it has become a new norm for most Europeans during the pandemic. While it brought along several advantages, it also brought a discussion to the forefront about when work should end. In our current context, in which telework has become a reality, unrecognisable from the past, the need to reinforce a set of matters in the Labour Code has already been contemplated, of which privacy reinforcements and the right to disconnect is being considered.
Portugal has been a relative trailblazer in the European Union when it comes to remote work. Across the world, countries have been trying to figure out how to enact effective right-to-disconnect legislation for years. Some of these laws put a cap on the workday and others have limited communication after work hours. The goal is always to protect employees from overworking and shield them from the repercussions of stopping their work as a result. The “massive” implementation of digital work has led many workers to work well beyond their normal working hours, maintaining permanent contact with the employer, co-workers, and clients. In view of this reality, an intervention on clarity of working hours is necessary.
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