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Life

09th Nov 2021

Portugal has made it illegal for your boss to text you after work hours

Kieran Galpin

The Portuguese, a great bunch of lads…

We’ve all been there – chilling with friends, a drink in one hand as your phone buzzes in the other.

You look down to see it’s your boss, with a question that could probably have waited until Monday. Well, not for the residents of Portugal. They can party easy knowing that the country has made it illegal for bosses to contact staff after hours.

Portugal’s ruling Socialist Party has approved legislation that will keep your boss out of your phone and your mind focused on TikTok – we mean work.

Under these new laws, employers could face penalties if they contact their staff outside of their designated work hours. However, the rule does not apply to companies with fewer than 10 employees.

With a considerable amount of people still working from home, Portugal has also banned checking in on staff to ensure they are doing work.

Ana Mendes Godinho, Portugal’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, said they want to make remote working as seamless as possible.

“The pandemic has accelerated the need to regulate what needs to be regulated,” she said.

“Telework can be a ‘game changer’ if we profit from the advantages and reduce the disadvantages.

“We consider Portugal one of the best places in the world for these digital nomads and remote workers to choose to live in, we want to attract them to Portugal.”

In addition to these new laws, home workers will also be able to expense things like electricity and internet while working from home.

If that wasn’t enough to get your bags packed ready to relocate to Portugal, then the laws also mean those with young children (eight and under) don’t have to pre-arrange working from home.

If your job has a Portugal office, then transfer immediately while the rest of us brush up on our Portuguese and pack our suitcases.