E-flash: Telework mandatory again

Because of the worsening Covid-19 situation, the Consultation Committee has announced yesterday evening a number of stricter rules.

To prevent infections at the workplace and on public transport, telework will (again) become mandatory to some extent in the private sector and in all public administrations, unless this is impossible due to the nature of the job or the continuity of the business.

• From 20 November until 12 December 2021, staff members will only be allowed to work in the office once a week. Whether staff members are only employees or also self-employed persons is not yet clear.
• As from 13 December 2021 and (at least) until 28 January 2022, it will be possible to work in the office two days per week.

Each company will have to electronically register certain data concerning telework (again) on a monthly basis via a system that will in principle be provided via the portal of the National Social Security Office. This will probably be the same system as the one that was previously in effect (see here). 

It is not yet clear how strictly these new measures will be monitored by the inspection services.

The new rules must still be confirmed in legislation, but we anticipate this will be done by the end of this week.