MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Service Commission (CSC) suggested on Monday combining the four-day work week and work-from-home arrangement to ensure the work-life balance of workers.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) recently proposed the four-day work week, 10 hours per day, to conserve energy amid rising fuel costs, instead of the five-day work week of eight hours per day.
READ: Neda offers fix for rising prices: No wage, fare hike but fewer work days
However, CSC Commissioner Aileen Lizada noted the challenge brought by longer working hours per day.
“Just a reminder sa mga heads of offices po kung pipiliin niyo ang four-day compressed workweek, isipin lang din ho natin na mental health, wellness, pati ang work-life balance po ng mga kawani ng gobyerno,” Lizada said in a Laging Handa public briefing.
(Just a reminder to our heads of offices: if you will choose the four-day compressed work week, consider the mental health, wellness, and the work-life balance of the government employees.)
“Ten hours in the office po is medyo very challenging. So, pwede po nating i-combine itong (we can combine this) four-day work week [with eight hours per day] with work from home,” she explained.
READ: Chua: Gov’t offices can already shift to four-day workweek
She cited as an example going to the office for four days while working at home on the fifth day.
According to Lizada, some of the work that is eligible for a work-from-home setup are research, policy formulation, project work, computer programming, and database maintenance.
The Palace earlier said that President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision on the four-day workweek will be out on March 21.
READ: Duterte’s decision on proposed 4-day work week due on Mar. 21
As of posting time, there is no decision yet on this matter.
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