Managers Banned From Texting Employees After Work-Hours In This Country! Firms Need To Pay WFH Expenses

Work from home which was a luxury two years ago has become a part of daily lives for all citizens. A considerable number of people throughout the world have gotten used to the idea of working while being away from the office. People now even have started to travel while traveling to tourists destinations for long durations. Now, as the culture of work is changing, the laws governing the same are also being updated.

Now, in Portugal, calling digital workers after office hours will attract you fine

In an attempt to attract more digital nomads to the country, Portugal passed a batch of labor laws.

According to new laws, employers will be fined for calling digital workers after hours. The new laws also require companies to pay for work-from-home expenses such as internet and electricity.

Incidentally, not all of Portugal’s proposed labor laws were approved. The Portuguese lawmakers struck down the “right to disconnect,” or the legal right to turn off work devices and messaging services after-hours.

Notably, Freelancers and entrepreneurs are already taking advantage of Portugal’s newly designed temporary resident visa. Recently in February 2021, the Portuguese islands of Madeira launched a “digital nomad village” with free WiFi and workstations.

Tropical destinations such as Bermuda, Antigua, and Costa Rica announced plans to offer digital nomad visas during the pandemic, which allow long-term stays up to two years. European countries including Croatia, Greece, and Spain also offer variations of virtual work visas.

‘Digital Nomad’ is the culturally IN thing

The term “digital nomad” has become so popular over the past year that Merriam-Webster added it to the dictionary in late October. Digital Nomads are defined as someone who performs their occupation entirely over the internet while traveling.

In 2020, the number of digital nomads jumped nearly 50%. About 11 million Americans now identify as digital nomads, and over half are traditional full-time employees who’ve decided to do their jobs from the road.

Ana Mendes Godinho, Portugal’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, said “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”. While being keen on the regulation the minister said, “The pandemic has accelerated the need to regulate what needs to be regulated.”