Presidential adviser: Work from home arrangement not for everyone

Amid calls by some employees for the government to maintain the work-from-home setup, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said that the arrangement was not for everyone.

In a 24 Oras Weekend report by Chino Gaston on Saturday, Concepcion said the work-from-home arrangement was not applicable for businesses that require manual labor.

"It is not possible for supermarkets to have no merchandisers and cashiers. All of these people, especially in retail or restaurants, almost all have to be present," Concepcion said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) meanwhile said it was open to a proposal giving tax incentives to businesses under a work-from-home arrangement, as long as the scheme was not compulsory.

The ECOP added there needed to be a study on whether employees that worked from home were more efficient.

"It cannot be applied to all. There is just some work that they have to be physically present," said ECOP President Sergio Ortiz Luis.

The Civil Service Commission this June allowed flexible working arrangements in which government employees could now be under a work-from-home setup. — Jamil Santos/DVM, GMA News