New Regulations for Work from Home: All you Need to Know

Thanks to the quick adoption of internet-based tools during the pandemic era, remote working has become the new standard.

New Work From Home Rules:

New rules under Rule 43A for work from home (WFH) for employees have been announced by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to improve the convenience and flexibility of the remote working culture

According to the new regulations, employees who make up more than 50% of the overall workforce may now work from home for up to a year.

The recommendations go on to say that this is good news for businesses because it fills a long-standing gap in the labour market for additional workers. Additionally, it benefits a lot of IT/ITES workers that work in Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

Work From Home: Fresh guidelines

The Commerce Ministry’s announcement states that the Development Commissioner (DC) of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) has the discretion to approve a higher number of employees (more than 50%) for any genuine reason that is documented in writing.

Furthermore, this new regulation gives SEZ units whose employees are currently working from home a 90-day transition period during which to request approval.
Who exactly is covered by the new rule?

The following type of employees of a unit in a SEZ are eligible to work from home under the new rule 43A:

• Employees of IT/ITeS SEZ units
• Employees, who are temporarily incapacitated
• Employees, who are traveling
• Employees, who are working offsite