AmCham Hosts Webinar with Labor Minister Hsu Ming-chun
As Taiwan appears to be nearing the end of a community outbreak of COVID-19 that began in May, many business owners must now make the tough decision of whether to call employees back to the office or continue their hybrid or work-from-home policies.
As remote working arrangements could potentially become a permanent option for employment even after the pandemic is over, Minister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun on July 27 joined an AmCham webinar to speak about labor conditions and regulations regarding this new trend.
During her presentation, Minister Hsu provided guidelines for employers to follow, which include:
- Safety, health, and protection in a working environment: The Ministry of Labor emphasizes labor inspections, especially of food delivery platforms, retailers, and other businesses with a high risk of transmission of COVID-19.
- Flexible working hours: Employers should communicate clearly with their employees any adjustments to work start and end times. Besides flexible working hours, vaccination and caretaking leave should also be provided.
- Remote working: The government issued principles for work conducted outside of the normal workplace in 2015. These include replacing physical time clocks with online clock-in systems for digital records.
Hsu also urged member companies to pay attention to employees’ mental health and work-life balance since remote working decreases personal interaction.
