Remote work after the epidemic? The boss will have to pay for electricity and internet

The boss will have to pay us for the electricity we use when we work from home. He will also be responsible for any accidents that may occur. The Ministry of Development has prepared a draft act permanently introducing remote work into the Polish Labor Code. It took government officials a year.

Currently, the basis for working from home is the so-called the covid act of March 2020. Pursuant to them, entrepreneurs may send employees to work remotely during the period of the epidemic or epidemic state and up to three months after their cancellation.

After the epidemic is over, remote work will be performed in a full or partial manner, i.e. hybrid, in a place indicated by the employee and agreed with the employer. This may be the employee’s place of residence.

Performing remote work will be agreed between the employee and the employer.

There will be exceptions, however. In an emergency – for example, a recurrence of the coronavirus epidemic – the boss will be forcibly able to send us to work remotely.

On the other hand, everyone the employee will have 12 days a year when he will be able to choose remote work on demand.

An employee may have such needs and call the employer that he needs to have a remote job today – explained Anita Gwarek, director of the Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology.

As a rule, the employer will have to pay for the costs arising from the employee’s remote work.

The code will be obliged to cover the costs of installation, servicing, operation and maintenance of work tools necessary to perform remote work, as well as the costs of electricity and access to telecommunications links – Gwarek enumerated.

It means that the boss will have to contribute to the electricity and internet bills. In what dimension? It is the bosses who will have to agree with employees, for example with trade unions or, if these are not present in the workplace, with employee representatives.

The bill on this matter is now submitted to consultations and then to the Sejm.

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