Portugal’s Socialist Party-led government has made it illegal for employers to call or text their workers outside of work hours, along with other measures designed to ensure work-life balance and entice remote workers to the country.
Employers will face fines for contacting their employees about work matters outside of the hours they are required to work. Companies must also help pay for utility expenses like electricity and internet that may increase when people work from home, the rules passed on Friday say.
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There are also rules against companies regulating how employees spend their time at home in order to bolster privacy protection. Parents can work from home whenever they wish without arranging it with their employer until their children turn eight.
As loneliness becomes an increasingly common issue for remote workers, companies must also arrange for face-to-face meetings between employees every two months.
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“We consider Portugal one of the best places in the world for these digital nomads and remote workers to choose to live in,” said Ana Mendes Godinho, minister of labour and social security, at the Web Summit in Lisbon earlier this month. “We want to attract them to Portugal.”
A measure that would ensure employees’ “right to disconnect” by letting them turn off work-related devices after work hours did not pass. All new rules apply only to companies with more than 10 employees.
