DOLE, DILG, DTI push staggered work shifts

MANILA, Philippines — The government has asked businesses to adopt multiple and staggered work shifts to allow more employees to do their jobs while protecting them from the virus as the economy recovers from monthslong lockdown.

“Some may start at 7 a.m. while others at 8 a.m., 9 a.m. and so on,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.

In a joint advisory dated Oct. 22 but released only last week, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) laid down a policy for multiple and staggered work shifts.

The agencies said the new policy would “allow more workers and buyers to contribute to the economy” while strictly complying with minimum public health and safety measures such as wearing masks and physical distancing in public.

According to the advisory, letting employees report for work at different hours will allow more workers to come to the office while following physical distancing requirements to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission.

The new work policy would also ease traffic buildup and the demand for public transportation, they added.