BPO Employees Want Return-To-Work Order Suspended

Employees of business process outsourcing (BPO) firms are seeking anew the suspension of the April 1 return-to-office (RTO) order.

“Mandating the return to office of 1.4 million information technology and BPO workers on the basis of economic and tax reasons disregards the issue of health and safety of employees,” concerned IT and BPO employees said in a statement over the weekend.

They stressed that the RTO is a “recipe for disaster” and that it would endanger their occupational safety and health.

“Even before the pandemic, if one BPO employee gets a cough or cold, in a day or two, someone else will show similar symptoms due to infection,” they said.

“Headsets too are sometimes shared among employees and are another way by which COVID-19 might be easily transmitted in a 100 percent fully operational scenario,” they added.

As possible alternative to a full RTO by April 1, they suggested 50 to 75 percent of BPO workers going back to the office.

In Resolution No, 19-21 issued in September 2021, the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) allowed work-from-home setups for up to 90 percent of BPO firms’ workers until March 31 this year amid the persisting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the FIRB denied the request of BPO firms to extend work-from-home arrangements beyond the end of March during a meeting on Feb. 21.

Lawmakers have earlier backed the appeal of IT and BPO workers not to implement the RTO, citing the Telecommuting Act of 2018 that allows remote work arrangements.

‘Scrap RTO order’

Sen. Francis Pangilinan has reiterated his earlier call to scrap the return to face-to-face work arrangements for BPO employees who themselves say have adjusted to the new normal.

“I don’t understand why BPO workers should be back to face-to-face work when work-from-home arrangements are OK,” Pangilinan said in Filipino.

Jazzel Abitria, a BPO worker since 2007, also questioned the timing of the government in fixing a system that is working.

“I hope the RTO will not be implemented at this time when prices of goods and gas are so high,” Abitria said.

Another BPO employee, Danica Mariano, said aside from the additional savings of not going to the office, she is more productive at home.

Pangilinan, a vice presidential candidate, said it would be a disservice to the Filipino workers if the national government turns a deaf ear to employees’ pleas in the face of another economic crisis due to the oil price spikes.

“The days ahead should not be a return to the past. There is a new and better way forward where our workers are more empowered to shape their working environment, more aware of their well-being, and regarded as the most vital resource of our nation,” Pangilinan said.

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority had earlier asked BPO companies to continue with the work-from-home arrangement even after the April 1 deadline, saying this would help BPO workers cut expenses such as transportation and gas.

Workers also recommended a compressed work week while maintaining the work from home for the rest of the week. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe