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Given the increasing number of cases of Covid-19 in Romania, it is mandatory for the employers to take certain measures to protect their employees. One of the measures taken by most of the companies is the remote work.
The companies that have already implemented a remote work policy may have a significant advantage in these situations as remote work could also be used as a protection measure for their employees against Covid-19, such companies already having a regulatory framework implemented for this purpose.
What about the employers that have not yet implemented a remote work policy?
These employers should decide the following:
- The period during which their employees can work from home (this is a temporary measure as the employers are not allowed to unilaterally change the work place of their employees for an indefinite period of time)
- The categories of employees affected by this measure (for the categories of employees that cannot work from home – e.g., the ones working in production, distribution, transport, sales – the employers can consider other protection measures such as the reduction of the working schedule or the obligation to use the protection equipment provided by the employer on its own expense)
- The employees’ obligation to inform the employer with respect to their health condition (communicating with the occupational physician/health and safety external service providers becomes essential for determining the appropriate protection measures)
What can employers do to prevent this type of situations in the future?
Employers can consider the following measures:
- Implementing a business continuity plan in case of threats with an impact on the employees’ health condition
- Implementing a remote work policy that should provide both for general rules and rules applicable in extraordinary circumstances
- The review of the Company’s Internal Regulation/Staff Handbook and of the health and safety policies in order to provide for specific obligations for all the parties as well as for the sanctions to be applied in case of breach.