Is your business ready for the Telecommuting Act?
Working from home has its benefits most especially to parents, those living in cities with heavy traffic, and those with physical limitations, among others.
Thanks to Republic Act 11165 or the Telecommuting Act which was signed into law in January 2019, employees in the private sector are now offered an alternative work arrangement.
According to the Official Gazette of the Philippines, the Telecommuting Act allows an employee from the private sector to work from an alternative workplace with the use of telecommunication and/or computer technologies. Employers may offer a telecommuting program on a voluntary basis and upon terms that they may mutually agree upon, provided that the terms and conditions shall not be less than the minimum labor standards set by law, shall include compensable work hours, a minimum number of work hours, overtime, rest days and entitlement to leave benefits. (Read more about the new law here.)
In view of this development, Globe Telecom reminds businesses that to become increasingly digital, they have to maintain a mobile workforce in order to remain competitive, not just locally but even on a global scale. Below is an excerpt from their press release.
"Although the implementing rules and regulations are yet to be released, the law may hugely impact companies, necessitating the need for enterprises to be prepared for this eventuality. This early, companies should already be able to provide an environment that allows employees to collaborate and be productive anywhere in real-time," said Peter Maquera, Senior Vice President for Globe Enterprise Group.
“Given the present-day realities of business, this kind of flexibility is not just desirable but is essential for the digital workforce to adapt easily to disruptive technology. Taking the digital leap means a more efficient and secure manner of doing tasks while being more cost-efficient and reliable,” Maquera added.
Maquera understands that the initial phase of rolling out new technology and convincing employees to embrace change is always the hardest challenge to hurdle. He cited Globe's experience when it began the out-of-office initiative in 2013. They shifted to G Suite, a cloud-based solution that offers a wide range of wireless data platforms. This software allows employees to easily work together on a project in real time even if they are in different locations. Members of the workforce can also access, edit, and share their files wherever they may be.
“Some employees have either become accustomed to the traditional face-to-face set-up or were simply intimidated by new technological tools. Resistance eventually gave way to acceptance, as they found that the new set-up allowed them more flexibility and greater space for collaboration,” he explained.
“The transformation that we as a company had to undergo was unavoidable to future-proof our business. The goal was clear from the onset: to deliver more for our digital customers, we had to start with enhancing the mobility of our own pool of employees. We had to become digital consumers as well,” he said.
Globe Telecom adopted and eventually offered GoCanvas, a platform for creating and editing mobile forms and applications that integrates service functionalities. Aside from the convenience that it offers, GoCanvas’ advanced features such as its built-in calculations enable Globe to analyze information for both business and customer insights to come up with better decisions.
By remaining digitally agile and secure, Maquera said Globe is able to extend the same services to its corporate clients through Globe Business so that they can optimize the way they do business and harness the inevitable digital changes./
Thanks to Republic Act 11165 or the Telecommuting Act which was signed into law in January 2019, employees in the private sector are now offered an alternative work arrangement.
According to the Official Gazette of the Philippines, the Telecommuting Act allows an employee from the private sector to work from an alternative workplace with the use of telecommunication and/or computer technologies. Employers may offer a telecommuting program on a voluntary basis and upon terms that they may mutually agree upon, provided that the terms and conditions shall not be less than the minimum labor standards set by law, shall include compensable work hours, a minimum number of work hours, overtime, rest days and entitlement to leave benefits. (Read more about the new law here.)
In view of this development, Globe Telecom reminds businesses that to become increasingly digital, they have to maintain a mobile workforce in order to remain competitive, not just locally but even on a global scale. Below is an excerpt from their press release.
"Although the implementing rules and regulations are yet to be released, the law may hugely impact companies, necessitating the need for enterprises to be prepared for this eventuality. This early, companies should already be able to provide an environment that allows employees to collaborate and be productive anywhere in real-time," said Peter Maquera, Senior Vice President for Globe Enterprise Group.
“Given the present-day realities of business, this kind of flexibility is not just desirable but is essential for the digital workforce to adapt easily to disruptive technology. Taking the digital leap means a more efficient and secure manner of doing tasks while being more cost-efficient and reliable,” Maquera added.
Maquera understands that the initial phase of rolling out new technology and convincing employees to embrace change is always the hardest challenge to hurdle. He cited Globe's experience when it began the out-of-office initiative in 2013. They shifted to G Suite, a cloud-based solution that offers a wide range of wireless data platforms. This software allows employees to easily work together on a project in real time even if they are in different locations. Members of the workforce can also access, edit, and share their files wherever they may be.
“Some employees have either become accustomed to the traditional face-to-face set-up or were simply intimidated by new technological tools. Resistance eventually gave way to acceptance, as they found that the new set-up allowed them more flexibility and greater space for collaboration,” he explained.
“The transformation that we as a company had to undergo was unavoidable to future-proof our business. The goal was clear from the onset: to deliver more for our digital customers, we had to start with enhancing the mobility of our own pool of employees. We had to become digital consumers as well,” he said.
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| Image source: Globe Go Canvas |
Globe Telecom adopted and eventually offered GoCanvas, a platform for creating and editing mobile forms and applications that integrates service functionalities. Aside from the convenience that it offers, GoCanvas’ advanced features such as its built-in calculations enable Globe to analyze information for both business and customer insights to come up with better decisions.
By remaining digitally agile and secure, Maquera said Globe is able to extend the same services to its corporate clients through Globe Business so that they can optimize the way they do business and harness the inevitable digital changes./
