DOLE Releases Revised IRR for Telecommuting Act

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) released Department Order No. 237, or the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11165, also known as the Telecommuting Act.

 

Under the law, telecommuting is a work arrangement that allows an employee work from an alternative workplace. An alternative workplace, under the revised rules, is “any location where work, through the use of telecommunication and/or computer technology, is performed at a location away from the principal place of business of the employer, including but not limited to the employee’s residence, co-working spaces, or other spaces that allow for mobile working”. Working from an alternative workplace shall be considered the same as working from the regular workplace of the employer. The terms and conditions of telecommuting shall also not be less than the minimum labor standards.

 

An employer may offer its employees a telecommuting program. Any employee or group of employees may likewise propose a telecommuting program to the employer. Said telecommuting program may be in the form of a policy or a contract, and shall contain provisions on eligibility, duration, performance evaluation standards, and emergency protocols, among others.

 

The revised IRR was the result of consultations with concerned sectors, and had inputs from the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council.

 

Read the full department order here.