'Sending emails outside working hours' becomes illegal

Following the expansion of telecommuting, a law was approved in Portugal on Friday, November 5, 2021 to outlaw 'sending emails and text messages to employees during off-hours'. As a result, if your boss sends an email to your subordinates after the end of work hours, you may be penalized.

Portugal makes it illegal for your boss to text you after work in'game changer' remote work law | Euronews
https://www.euronews.com/next/2021/11/08/portugal-makes-it-illegal-for-your-boss-to-text-you-after-work

Portugal Makes It Illegal for Your Boss to Text You After Work
https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkpdan/portugal-makes-it-illegal-for-your-boss-to-text-you-after-work

The Portuguese government has announced that new labor legislation will penalize overtime emails and require businesses to pay for increased gas, electricity and communications costs as a result of working from home. In addition, monitoring of workers working from home is prohibited, and it is guaranteed that employees will meet with their boss once every two months to prevent isolation of workers. On the other hand, although the 'right to disconnect' promoted in Europe was proposed, it was not included in the law.

'Right to disconnect' that turns off digital devices during off-hours and refuses to contact work is promoted in Europe --GIGAZINE

However, companies with less than 10 employees are not subject to this law. In addition, employees with children are entitled to work from home until their child is eight years old, without prior arrangements with their employer.

In Portugal, the number of people working from home has increased due to the pandemic, but the fact that there are unfair opportunities to use IT equipment has been regarded as a problem, and the government needed to intervene, said Anna Mendes Godinho, Minister of Labor of Portugal. Says. It is believed that this revision of the law has the purpose of attracting 'digital nomads' who work while traveling domestically and internationally using IT, and workers who place importance on life-work balance in Portugal.