DOLE: Refusal to work on-site, not grounds for termination

According to Labor Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez, BPO employees who refuse to report physically should not be terminated and is not an automatic ground for termination.

In an interview the official of the DOLE explained that the decision to work from home is left on the employer. The company should decide on that matter and that the refusal to return to work on site should not cause their employment.

The undersecretary added that employees may lose incentive though and in the long run, it may cause them their jobs as companies can classify it as insubordination.

This is after the government guidelines placed during the pandemic allowed the BPO sector to keep its tax breaks even with 90% of its employees working from home. This setup will end at the end of March as restrictions have been eased. BPO companies are now requiring their employees to go back physically to work despite pleas from the PEZA and BPO employees.