In the battle against the coronavirus, the government is now requiring all employees to work from home. But not every company currently has a work from home policy in place. A new, temporary collective labour agreement has now made it mandatory.

In recent months, much of the business community was forced to switch to teleworking. But it has become clear to many that teleworking will also be a permanent part of our work organisation after the pandemic. So, many companies have already implemented a system for occasional or structural teleworking through a corresponding policy.

Collective labour agreement 149 now requires all employers to develop a clear framework of agreements. The agreement was concluded for a fixed period of time – from 26 January 2021 to 31 March 2022.

 A work from home policy contains a number of fixed elements:

You write down clear conditions and expectations in terms of performance, assessment criteria, availability, and so on. You also make agreements on the concrete organisation of teleworking through work schedules, planning and task distribution.

Are you making company laptops available? Are there any employees who need to use their own equipment or devices? How do you reimburse the additional costs incurred by employees (for such things as an internet connection, heating, office furnishings and supplies and a home computer)?

Make sure to make clear agreements on such matters with your teleworkers. If a teleworker uses his or her own equipment or device, the employer must reimburse the installation costs for the software and costs associated with licenses and operating expenses, maintenance, depreciation and additional connection fees.

According to the new collective labour agreement, you are required to inform our employees about the importance of a healthy home working environment (such as an ergonomic workstation, proper monitor use and available technical support). They must also have the possibility to contact the health and safety officer or any other designated contact persons responsible for well-being at work. 

Finally, this collective labour agreement is intended for companies that did not have a work from home policy in place on 1 January 2021. If you already have a policy for occasional or structural teleworking, you do not need to take any extra steps.