The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has issued a circular directing the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector to maintain business continuity for the duration of the Luzon-wide quarantine period.
The circular also provides work-from-home (WFH) arrangements, urging BPO companies to transfer the necessary equipment to facilitate WFH arrangements within the lockdown period.
The directive also allowed the BPO firms to continue workplace operations through the deployment of a skeleton workforce who should “practice proper hygiene and exercise… to avoid the spread of infection”.
“Employees are permitted mobility to and from their place of work within areas affected by the quarantine, provided that appropriate temporary accommodation and/or shuttle service arrangements, within the immediate vicinity of the workplace shall be provided,” the circular said.
The guidelines include the monitoring of personnel exhibiting symptoms of the disease, regularly sanitizing the office premises, and ensuring that employees have proper identification at all times.
The DICT said the guidelines are intended to complement the policy directives of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for the Export and BPO sectors contained in DTI Memorandum Circulars Nos. 20-06 and 20-08.
