What does new Labor Law bring to people who work from home?

Changes of the Labor Law enable employers to hire employees to work remotely or from home but the rights and earnings of an employee must not ne lower than of those working in the company. The form of work to be contracted primarily depends on the work an employee should perform.

Employers and authorities point out that this kind of work organization could bring many benefits for an employee and an employer.

Work from home is when an employee should have certain assets for work which an employer provides, installs and maintains at an employee’s flat.

If, however, work is not related to a place of residence of an employee or a company, i.e. when an employee can deliver the work done to an employer, it is a remote job.

The assistant minister of labor, Zoran Lazic, said that changed Labor Law provides an option to work from home and remote work and that it is only necessary that an employer and an employee agree on it.

He says the law governs that an employee who works from home and an employee who works in a company must have the same rights ad salary and exceptions are such as daily allowance, annual pay compensation and transport.

Secretary General at the Union of Employers of Serbia, Dusan Korunoski, thinks that legal regulation sin Serbia leg behind the world one and that this clause in the law only states actual situation i.e. something already existing and which has been applied so far but was subject to penalty.

Financial relief for employers

In IT sector, he says, this kind or work organization has become a rule and work from home can bring a low financial relief for employers – non-payment of transport costs which was, as he thinks, a pointless fee so far.

- This kind of a clause will be favorable for many experts because work via Internet and work from home is more comfortable than everyday travel to work. On the other hand, apart from decreased transport expenses, employers will decrease business premises area for their business activities which could slightly decrease costs of general business – Korunoski said.

Apart from that, teams which work on different projects in consulting organize work from home in shifts because this is how they can serve a client in the shortest time possible and be competitive at the market. This practice has already been present in consultants’ work in most diverse fields, Korunoski explains.

Benefits for women with family

Owner of Croatian Infoarena Group, Tomislav Gavaci, pointed out at benefits of the Law when it comes to work from home which has already become effective in Croatia and Slovenia.

It is a new trend, extremely quality one, especially in the employment potential segment and for women with families, Gavaci said.

According to the law, distantly hired workers or those working from home, have guaranteed work hours schedule, the right to overtime work, night work compensation and annual and other leave.

This practically means that deadlines and work quantity for people distantly hired or who work from home must not be neglected so that an employee does not have time for daily, weekly or annual vacation.

The new thing is that this kind of the labor contract does not have to be registered at the municipality anymore but it is enough to have a registration for obligatory social insurance of an employee based on the contract.