Communications of the ACM
Labor Laws Need Updating Now That Remote Work Is Here to Stay
Models that balance remote and in-office work can meet the needs of both employers and employees.
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Employment laws and regulations must be updated to clarify issues related to work hours, overtime, and breaks in a remote work context, now that almost half of all employees are working from home at least once a week, says Associate Professor Ruchi Sinha at the University of South Australia.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report on the welfare and well-being of Australians found that, by April 2022, 46% of people aged 18 or older had worked from home at least once per week in the previous four weeks.
Sinha says the changing nature of work has brought about a need to ensure remote workers have access to the same employment protections as in-office workers and are provided the same training and development and health and well-being opportunities.
"Employers should be promoting the adoption of technologies that enable people to work from home," she says. "Such investment in digital infrastructure and resources for remote workers should be encouraged in rural areas too, to reduce digital poverty."
From University of South Australia
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