Portugal makes it illegal to text employees after work hours
Work-life balance wins in Portugal after the Portuguese parliament passed a law on Friday, November 5, that makes it illegal for bosses to contact employees after work hours.
This move is said to be the country's way of promoting a healthier work-life balance as remote working has surged during the pandemic.
Employers who will violate this law could face financial penalties including increased gas and electricity bills.
In a tech conference last week in the country's capital, Lisbon, Minister of Labor and Social Security Ana Mendes Godinho talked about why it was important to pass the said legislation.
"The pandemic has accelerated the need to regulate what needs to be regulated," said Godinho. "Telework can be a 'game changer' if we profit from the advantages and reduce the disadvantages.”
No more calls and texts from their bosses for employees in Portugal after work hours / Source: Pexels
Godinho also revealed that the passing of the law is a way to attract more digital nomads to live and work in Portugal.
“We consider Portugal one of the best places in the world for these digital nomads and remote workers to choose to live in, we want to attract them to Portugal," Godinho stated.
Moreover, the Associated Press reports that additional rules will be implemented soon to better empower remote workers, such as giving parents with kids aged 8 years old and below the right to work from home and having a mandatory face-to-face meeting with a boss every few months to ward off loneliness.
You might also want to read about Japan's proposal to have a 4-day work week and how it became an overwhelming success in Iceland.
