New law in Portugal forbids bosses from contacting workers after hours

Olga Gavrilova

Companies with 10 or more employees in Portugal now face fines if they call, text, zoom, or email their workers after normal office hours, thanks to a new law enacted there. The law was established to curb the burnout work-at-home employees are experiencing during the pandemic. "Under the new rules, employers could face penalties for contacting workers outside of office hours," reports Euronews. "Companies will also have to help pay for expenses incurred by remote working, such as higher electricity and internet bills… However, a proposal to include the so-called "right to disconnect" – the legal right to switch off work-related messages and devices outside office hours – was rejected by Portuguese MPs."