According to an ET report, the Government of India is reportedly planning to introduce a legal framework for remote work defining the liability of employers towards employees.
The government is working towards statutory provisions for the new models of work that companies are adapting in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as work from home, work from anywhere, or hybrid working models to protect employees from the highly infectious coronavirus.
The things that may be considered are fixed work hours and payment of additional expenses incurred on electricity and internet usage because of working from home.
The report says that government has hired a consultancy firm to determine ‘future of work’ in the backdrop of the covid-pandemic, the benefits it brings to stakeholders, and a comprehensive formal remote work structure for all sectors.
People Opinion
Commenting on the move Krithika Srinivasan an Edtech Entrepreneur said on Linkedin, “I welcome the move – this will hopefully protect the rights of both employees and employers. For long, we were measuring someone’s value by the time they spent and not by outcomes,”
“Working from office involved covering expenses for employees within the working time. In addition to this, there are added perks like coffee machines, access to subsidized food, travel allowances, etc,” she added
“One question to ask is are the costs incurred by employees the same if they are working from home vs if they working from office. If they are not, then shouldn’t people be compensated accordingly?” she further said.
“Hope the study will take into account the long-term impact of working from home on physical health. Many do not have access to a separate office or the right conditions, ” She added.
Sharing her expectation from this development, Nabamita Chakraborty said on Linkedin,” There should not be any disparity in treating employees who choose to work from home versus those who willingly return to the office. Fair pay and treatment to both these groups should be considered,”
“Most companies are already reimbursing electricity, wifi costs, and other expenses related to employee productivity so legalizing that would seal the deal completely.” she added
“The major conundrum is about working hours. Recently, Portugal banned employers from calling/texting employees post working hours which was a bold step in favor of employee mental well-being, I would say,” she said.
“A legalized instruction with no loopholes would be good so that either the employee or employer do not exploit each other. The accountabilities should be clearly defined for both.” she further said.
