The Polish government is working on new measures to boost the right to work from home. They would bar employers from refusing such requests from certain groups – including parents of young children and pregnant women – and require them to cover the costs of working from home.
The pandemic has demonstrated that such options are necessary for workers and have benefits for families, says the labour, families and social policy minister, Marlena Maląg. She expressed hopes that the measures can be implemented by the end of June.
“The last two years have shown that remote work is necessary, and this is why we are working on adding it to the labour code,” Maląg told the Polish Press Agency (PAP). “Of course, not every job can be done remotely, but thanks to this possibility the state coped well with the difficulties associated with the pandemic.”
The new rules will replace current regulations on teleworking as “remote work is to be used more broadly”, she added. It is currently regulated by Covid legislation, with the employer deciding when staff should work from home.
Under the proposed measures, both employers and employees will be able to propose working from home. The terms applying within a company will be set by internal rules to be determined in consultation with trade unions or other employee representatives.
People working remotely will have to inform their employer of the place where they will be doing so. Companies will have the right to carry out checks, but only during working hours, the minister said.
The employer will also be obliged to cover the costs of working from home, including necessary equipment, electricity and essential telecommunications services.
The law will contain a provision stating cases in which employers will not be allowed to refuse requests for remote work. This “privileged group” will include parents of children aged four or under and those caring for a person with a disability, as well as pregnant women.
Having staff working remotely can also be a desirable and cost-effective option for employers, Maląg noted, especially in professions such as IT and administration.
“But there must be a balance in using remote work,” she added. “Sometimes it is also necessary to have contact with other people, leave home, and exchange ideas.”
The bill is currently being processed by the legal affairs committee and should shortly be presented to the cabinet with a view to being debated in parliament, Maląg said.
The new regulations could be implemented in the first half of this year and will become binding three months after the current official state of epidemic is lifted in Poland.
Main image credit: Annie Spratt/Unsplash
Ben Koschalka is a translator and senior editor at Notes from Poland. Originally from Britain, he has lived in Kraków since 2005.
