DOE in favor of four-day work week, extended WFH setup amid soaring fuel prices
Amid soaring fuel prices in the country, the Department of Energy is backing the proposal of a four-day workweek and extended work-from-home (WFH) setup.
During President Rodrigo Duterte’s Talk To The People on March 15, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi iterated that lessening workdays and extending the work-from-home policy could lessen the fuel consumption of working Filipinos.
"We also support 'yung panukala na four-day work week at palawigin natin ang work-from-home at maiwasan ang pagbiyahe ng ating mga mamamayan," Cusi said.
The proposal comes from Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, who urged that the shift would be an ideal compromise.
"Every Filipino will still work 40 hours per day. But instead of five days, it will be four. Instead of eight hours per day, it will be 10 hours per day,” Chua said during the same address.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has said that private companies may already choose to implement a four-day workweek since it is considered a flexible work arrangement.
"In the four-day workweek proposal, there is no need for a new law or Department Order," said DOLE Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez.
"We have issued a Labor advisory on flexible work arrangements. The four-day workweek is a flexible work arrangement."
Since the implementation of Alert Level 1, the most lenient alert level, in NCR, on-site work and hybrid set-ups have been encouraged to boost the economy.
However, traveling to and from work has become a problem for many from the working class because of the soaring crude oil prices brought about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.
On March 15, the fuel hikes reached its 11th straight week of soaring prices with P7.10/liter for gasoline, P13.15/liter for diesel, and P10.50/liter.