>> Ruth Levush: Go back to known. It is hard to believe that almost two and a half years have passed since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic. In an effort to stop the spread of the virus, countries around the globe have undertaken vaccination complaints and imposed various degrees of social distancing, masking, limit patients on social gatherings, and in times total shutdowns of schools, government offices, and other venues where people might congregate. Social distancing measures were also voluntarily been imposed by employers and organizers of social events. The COVID 19 pandemic has accelerated global employment patterns involving remote and [inaudible] prepared faster adoption of [inaudible] of site work or work out of employer's premises. However, it is not a new phenomenon. Increased access to communications technologies before the pandemic have facilitated the growth of work away from a central location. The technological ability in many parts of the world minimize the impact of statewide closures and other measures taken by states to reduce transmission of the virus. This webinar will provide an overview of the regulation of remote work pre COVID 19 in foreign countries, followed by description of changes in the [inaudible] and other initiatives and policy debates post COVID 19. I will be using the terms remote work and telework interchangeably. I will be addressing the following topics. First, productivity. Employees can concentrate on work rather than on commute. Other benefits include, I'm sorry, I skipped a slide. I will go back to the outline. I will be addressing the following issues. First of all, what are the benefits of off site work? Then I will be discussing challenges associated with off site work. Then, the U.S. pre pandemic and pandemic framework. Then EU regulation of remote work. EU member's national regulation, telework regulation in other countries, and judicial review of telework arrangements. The increased telework experience gained during the pandemic has highlighted the far reaching benefits offered by remote work across states and industrial sectors. These include environmental, economic, and labor market benefits resulting from reducing congestions on the roads, reducing air pollution, and expanding the labor market by enabling workers residing outside of population centers to participate. Remote work provides employers opportunities to recruit and retain the best talents regardless of location, and enable employees to improve their work life balance. To illustrate some of the benefits associated with telework, I chose the following images. All of them have to do with traffic, which impacts productivity, environment, economics, labor market limitation caused by commute, difficulties in recruitment and retention of talented workers, and negatively affecting worker's morale. I recently visited Tel Aviv as well and took this photo. I cannot even imagine how people over there can commute to their jobs. While remote work is relatively common in the high tech industry of this country, it is not the prevailing type of work arrangement in other industries in Israel. The problems are even exacerbated because of the building of a new railing system causing extra road locate. My office is located on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. In this photo, I can see, or you can see the traffic on Ninth Street in Washington, D.C. on a typical Monday morning before the pandemic. And here, I don't think I need to elaborate on the Bejeve situation. And, of course, you do not want to be trying to get to work, commuting on this road, called one of the seven wonders of the modern world of [inaudible] either. And if you think public transportation is the solution, this is a photo from Washington, D.C. before the pandemic. Do you really want to squeeze in here during the pandemic? I took this picture on June 28th, 2022. This is the Metro Rail in Washington, D.C. No mask requirements. And no social distancing. Crowded. And the current BA.5 variant is clearly highly contagious. And of those benefits, remote work has presented various challenges to employers and to employees alike. Since the outbreak of COVID 19, telework use has increased significantly, affecting information, communication infrastructure. Telework also presents challenges to protection against cybersecurity and privacy of workers. On this slide, I listed some of the challenges associated with remote work. First, not every type of work can be done remotely. Can you do a root canal remotely? Are we there yet, technologically speaking? Secondly, what type of means are required for performing a job remotely? Communication network and appropriate software. How about ergonomically suitable chair? And what about remote work impacts on professional interaction and creativity? For example, scientists and engineers interact to integrate new ideas. Spontaneity of conversations may lead to new directions in research or product development. How can this issue be successfully addressed? With regard to labor rights, how do you define working hours, paid leave, and work flexibility in the remote work environment? And also, to what extent are employers responsible for payment of remote work related expenses? Such is excess use of electricity and water in employee's home. Should they be balanced against employees' savings and fuel? What measures should be taken to ensure that remote workers are not left behind in terms of promotion, training, and equal opportunities at work? And then who should pay for accounts related to work at home? Is it Social Security, worker compensation funds? Additional challenges include the extent to which an employee may enjoy the right to privacy while teleworking. How secure is the employer's company's information when the employee connects to any outside network? Will an employer consider restricting an employee to a particular location in order to prevent information leaks? Would the employer be required to equip an employee with means to work anywhere with a high level of security? How about managerial flexibility? Does telework limit it? Another question is whether an employer may be required to demand, and may an employee be required to work remotely as a condition of employment. Other challenges in work pay and leave accumulation. Should remote work impact pay? How does remote work impact any leave accumulation? As remote work may minimize the time needed to care for employee's personal arrangements, should limits on accumulation of leave be adjusted? In the following slides, I will describe whether and how countries around the world have attempted to address these issues. Let's start with the United States. The U.S. federal government is guided by the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. Along with other goals, the act intended to support agency's efforts to recruit and retain productive federal workforce and enhance federal employee work life balance. The act requires each executive agency to establish a telework policy and incorporate telework into its continuity of operations plans. It outlines responsibilities and expectations for policy guidance and reporting of telework, and requires every executive agency to work with OPM to satisfy mandatory data collection and reporting requirements. The act provides a framework for federal agencies to better leverage technology and maximize the use of telework. President Trump declares the Coronavirus disease 2019 a national emergency in March 2020. In an effort to slow the transmission of COVID 19, the Office of Management and Budget ordered federal agencies to quote maximize telework across the nation for the federal workforce, including mandatory telework, if necessary, while maintaining mission critical workforce means, end quote. Private sector companies took similar measures. There does not seem to be a general federal regulation of telework other than the 2010 Telework Enhancement Act at this time. The most elaborate regulation of telework appears to exist in the European Union. As compared with the U.S. and other countries, the EU appears to have regulated specific aspects of the relationship created between the employers and employees as the result of remote work. I'm going to address the following topics in relation to the EU. First, EU directives and regulations, then the EU framework agreement on telework of 2002, national regulations to pre COVID 19, changes in EU national regulations, and legal changes initiatives and debates. First, telework is not regulated at the EU levels of [inaudible] mechanism, although several directives and regulations address issues that are important for ensuring good working conditions for telework. These include the EU working time directive that includes provisions aimed at protecting the safety and health of workers by providing for maximum telework, working hours per week, and including provisions on the performance of telework. Also, the framework directive on safety and health at work aims to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers in the workplace. It does not specify the work location when it comes to the application of its provisions. And accordingly also applies to teleworkers. Another relevant directive is the transparent and predictable working conditions directive, which has indirectly addressed some of the challenges associated with the protection of teleworkers. This directive requires that provisions be made in relation to the place of work and that work patterns be clarified in the employment contract. This ensures more predictable working time patterns for workers, which could have a positive impact on the work life balance. Also relevant to the work life balance directive, which includes telework as one of the flexible working arrangements to which working parents and caregivers are entitled. And finally, the general data protection regulation regulates the collection used in transfer of personal data, and also establishes provisions related to data processing operations, including employee monitoring. In this sense, this regulation requires that the employee's consent be given prior to the introduction of any employee monitoring system. I would like also to mention that the January 2021 European parliamentary solution called on the commission to propose a law aimed at recognizing the right to disconnect. This law should also establish minimum requirements for remote working and clarified working conditions, hours, and rest periods. This legislative initiative was passed with 472 votes in favor, 126 against, and 83 extensions. Such legislations, however, has not been adopted yet. The main EU regulation addressing telework was introduced through the EU framework agreement on telework from 2002. This framework agreement is an autonomous agreement between the European social partners, which include the European trade union consideration, the union of industrial and employees' considerations of Europe, the European economic and social committee, and the Episcopal Parish Network, the agreement commits the affiliated national organizations to implementing the agreement according to the procedures and practices specific to each member state. The EU framework agreement on telework defines telework as a form of organizing and/or performing work using information technology in the context of an employment contract or relationship where work, which could also be performed at the employer's premises is carried out away from these premises on a regular basis. Now, what are the elements of this definition? The most important element of, elements of the definition, according to the European Agency for Safety and Health, are that telework is understood as a work arrangement instead of a labor contract. That only employees with an employment contract are covered. That only telework that is carried out on a regular basis is covered. That could be one day a week or five days a week. As long as it is on a regular basis. That telework is exclusively understood as an information and communications technology and able mobility arrangement, covering only those stationary jobs that could also be performed at the employer's premises, and lastly that telework may include several alternative workplaces to the employer's premises. With regard to content, the EU framework agreement on telework provides the telework is voluntary for both employees and employers, except in those cases where it is required as part of the initial job description. When telework is not part of the initial job description, the decision to move to telework is reversible by individual and/or collective agreement. The modality of this reversibility are established by individual and/or collective agreements. According to the framework agreement, teleworkers are entitled to the same rights and opportunities granted by legislation and collective bargaining and company rules and policies as comparable to workers at the employer's premises. With regard to data protection, the employer is responsible for ensuring the protection of data used and processed by the teleworkers. Employers should, however, respect privacy of employees and monitoring systems have to be proportionate to their objectives. Issues regarding equipment to be used by teleworkers have to be agreed before starting the telework arrangement. As a general rule, the employer is responsible for providing, installing, and maintaining the equipment, unless the teleworkers use their own equipment. Employers are responsible for the occupation of safety and health of teleworkers. Among other aspects, this requires the employers conduct the risk assessment and inform teleworkers of potential risks. And finally, under the framework agreement, teleworkers should manage the organization of their working time under the limits provided in the respective national legislation and collective bargaining. In the absence of specific EU directives on telework, telework is regulated by member states, even through statutory legislation, or by social dialogue and collective bargaining, or by both. A review of national legislation identifies statutory definitions of telework or related national categories in a number of countries. Terms used in national laws vary, including remote work in Bulgaria, distant work in Spain, later replaced by telework, alternative workplace in Croatia, and location independent work in the Netherlands. In most of these countries, national statutory definitions resemble the wording used in the EU framework agreement, or follow a similar approach. In all of these countries, telework is understood as a work arrangement rather than a labor contract, although in at least one country, in Portugal, there are also specific fixed terms telework contracts. In some countries, terms and procedures have to be set up in the collective or in the individual employment contract. In all of these countries, telework is limited to dependent employment relationship; namely, work that is performed by the employee within the relationship between the supervisor position of an employer and the subordinate law of an employee on employer's behalf, according to the employer's instructions. In many countries, a definition specify that telework covers only those jobs where mobility is information and communication technology ICT enabled. And accordingly, can also be performed at the employer's premises, thereby excluding jobs where mobility is required by the labor process. In some countries, only telework that is carried out on a regular or predominant basis is covered. In other countries, a distinct is made between regular or structural telework. And occasional non regular or smart telework. And different legal frameworks apply to each category. In other countries, the frequency of telework is not specified, or it is broad enough to cover different frequencies. In most of the countries, telework tends to include several alternative workplaces to the employer's premises. In some countries, there is a distinction between home work and telework, whereas in other countries, the term home work was replaced by new categories that explicitly acknowledge the diversity of workplaces outside of employer's premises. On this slide, I listed some of the main issues addressed in statutory legislation in member states. With regard to the first issue listed, teleworkers are generally entitled to equal treatment as those who work on site. Exceptions apply in some countries with regard to granting teleworker's flexible schedule, or not giving them compensatory rest for overtime pay. The principle of equality in terms of employment conditions is reinforced in some countries through explicit non discrimination clauses in relation to promotion and training, limits on normal working hours and remuneration. In addition to addressing employment and working conditions, members' national legislation often address issues such as employment and working conditions, the right to disconnect, work life balance, privacy and employer surveillance, as well as equipment. Additional issues addressed in statutory legislation of member states are occupations, occupational safety and health, OSH, access to teleworker's workplace, pre telework inspection, employer's liability in case of teleworking work accidents, employer's duty to prevent risk factors associated with telework, and collective bargaining. An issue that is addressed bylaws of several European, as well as non European countries, is the right of workers to disconnect from work. Should an employer expect that as the remote worker has access to its running communications regardless of location, the worker should be available to [inaudible] work at all times, the right to disconnect from work and primarily not to engage in work related [inaudible] communications, such as e mails or messages during non work hours, has been recognized in a number of countries. France was the first European country to introduce the right, the right to disconnect for provision in the new labor code in 2016. The section of the [inaudible] that governs telework, that's not explicitly mentioned the right to disconnect, but refers to it implicitly. The French ministry of labor clarified that employee's right to rest, and all of those recording work time remain applicable to telework. And also that quote the distinction between work time and leisure time must be clear and guarantee the employee's right to disconnect, end quote. And equally, the right to disconnect was established in a 2017 law, which legislative and new framework on flexible, smart, or agile work. In Spain, it was established by a 2018 law on the protection of personal data, and the guarantee of digital rights. In Belgium, some provisions favoring the right to disconnect were included in the act regarding the strengthening of economic growth and social cohesion of 2018. The government of Ireland launched a national remote work strategy during the pandemic in January, 2021, quote, to ensure that remote working is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace, end quote, in order to maximize economic, social, and environmental benefits. With regard to implementation of the right to disconnect, it is left for collective bargaining in Spain, whereas in France, implementation relies on agreements between employers and unions at the company level. In Belgium, the right to disconnect should be negotiated by health and safety committees at the company level. In contrast, and equally, the right to disconnect should be implemented from individual implements between the employer and the employee. With regard to this [inaudible] application of the right to disconnect, in Italy, only smart workers enjoy the right. Smart work is usually defined as a more flexible arrangement, where work takes place partly at the company's premise, and partly outside, with no constraints in terms of place of work, or working time beyond the limits of maximum hours established in legislation of collective bargaining. In France and in Belgium, the right to disconnect has to be implemented in all companies with more than 50 employees. With regard to the issue of work life balance, aspects, the issue of work life balance aspects of telework. There are two main groups of countries. There are countries where legislation has strengthened workers' protection against the negative consequences of telework, and permanent availability through the right to disconnect. For example, Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain. And there are countries where telework has been promoted as a way to support conciliation between work and family, or personal life, without dealing with any of the associated negative consequences. For example, Germany [inaudible] Poland, [inaudible], and Romania. In the second route, telework is recognized as a right that some employees are entitled to, with a view to attending to family responsibilities. That legislation goes beyond the voluntary principle acknowledging the new framework and contents. In Lithuania, this right applies to [inaudible] workers, new parents, parents of young children, and single parents. In Germany, it encompasses employees with care responsibilities. In Poland, the right is mainly circumscribed to parents of disabled children. In [inaudible] Romania, legislation provides broader provisions, establishing that telework can be based as one of the measures to improve work life balance. In terms of equipment, several countries have established in legislation that the employer should be responsible for providing and maintaining the equipment. For example, [inaudible] and Poland. Or providing economic compensation to the employee to covering these expenses, as is the case in Greece and Lithuania. In other countries, legislation provides that issues related to professional, technical, and other equipment in work, in the workplace, should be specified in the individual telework agreement. This is the case in Bulgaria and Slovenia. In other countries, legislation simply does not address this topic, although it can still be addressed through collective bargaining. For instance, in Spain, the lack of regulation on equipment was identified as a legal vacuum in telework legislation in the pre COVID 19 period. As far as privacy and employer surveillance is concerned, countries' legal provisions on telework tend to refer to the general principles of proportionality, legitimacy and balance between employer's control and privacy rights. Several countries regulate the digital monitoring of the employees through data protection legislation. This brings me to the topic of occupational safety [inaudible]. Statutory telework legislation generally acknowledges the equal rights of teleworkers and employees working in the teleworker's premises. Accordingly, general OSH regulations should apply to teleworkers. However, the practical implementation and the enforcement of OSH standards is more problematic when employees are working outside the employer's premises, because of employee's privacy rights. As employers are responsible for implementation of OSH rules, should they have access to teleworker's workplace? Several countries provide labor inspectors, employers, or safety and health experts, and all workers' representatives, with access to teleworkers' workplaces to inspect workers' compliance with OSH, subject to prior notification of the employee, and their consent or agreement. In Bulgaria, teleworkers do not have the right to deny access to the workplace during the established working hours, and/or within the limits established in the individual employment, and or collective agreement, without giving reasons. The teleworker has, in turn, the right to request a formal inspection in their workplace. In contrast, in Croatia, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, legislation prevents or seriously restricts the inspection of teleworkers at home. Pre telework evaluations are required in Slovenia. In Estonia, an amendment to the Occupational Safety and Health Act enforced since January 1st, 2019 stipulates the right to make an agreement between the employer and the teleworker, where that agreement contains a contractual tendency in case the employee does not fulfill the OSH regulation. The aim of this stipulation is to act as a deterrent and guide so that the employees comply with the OSH regulation. In this way, Estonia has confirmed, conferred this responsibility, mainly on employees, although employers still have to arrange instruction and training for employees. So, what is the employer's liability in case of telework accidents? Generally, employers are liable for accidents during teleworking the same way as they are for accidents that occur at the company's premises. However, the application of the work accident concept to teleworkers may be more problematic. Generally, national legal frameworks established that a teleworker is required to prove that the accident really happened in the workplace, and during work hours, and that competent authorities are responsible for investigating and determining whether the accident occurred during a professional or private [inaudible]. An exception to this general regulation is found in France where legislation establishes a different presumption in cases of accidents occurring in the location of where the telework is performed, and during work activity hours. This presumption has the benefit of relieving the employee from the responsibility of evidence and causation between the accident and the professional context. I should mention that some countries have adopted specific provisions that require employers to provide additional resources or tailor made plans for teleworkers with a view to helping them comply with OSH standards. In at least one country, Lithuania, legislation provides that the employer must train the employee in how to safely use the work equipment provided by the employer. In several countries, legislation explicitly requires employers to conduct a risk assessment of the place of telework and take measures based on this evaluation. For example, this is the case in Croatia, Germany, Hungary, and Slovenia. And also the requirement to inform the employees of the risk existing in their place of telework, this is the case in the Netherlands, in the countries where legislation prevents or seriously restricts the inspection of teleworkers at home, such as Croatia, Germany, Italy, and Spain, any risk assessment should be carried out on the basis of information collected from the teleworker. Now, how about the employer's duty to prevent risk factors associated with telework? National legislation in some countries covers specific risk factors related to telework. In Italy, particular attention is paid to voiding risk associated with [inaudible] stress. To avoid this risk, employees are obliged to comply with the rules on rest periods and breaks established by law and collective agreements. During break and rest periods, employees must switch off the equipment they use to perform their work. Legislation in the Netherlands encompasses the assessment and prevention of psychological risks. In Slovenia, legislation stresses that the employer must consider the employee's stress and mental well being, the fact that the employee works alone, and other risks such as manual lifting of loads, electric shock, et cetera. In Portugal and Luxenberg, attention is drawn to the risk of isolation. In Portugal, the [inaudible] law requires the employer to promote regular contact between the remote worker, the company, and other workers, to prevent isolation. In Luxembourg, the national agreement on telework, which was declared binding by [inaudible], stipulates that the employer's should ensure that measures are taken to prevent teleworkers from becoming isolated from their office based colleagues. In countries where telework started through legislation exists, collective bargaining has a significant role in adapting telework regulation to the needs of specific sectors, and providing more balance regulatory solutions than individual agreements. Collective bargaining has also played a role in regulating telework in some countries where there was no [inaudible] definition, and specific legislation of telework prior to COVID 19 pandemic. For example, in Austria, the you framework agreement has been implemented in around 90% of sector collective agreements through the establishment of more comprehensive regulation. Moreover, company collective agreements implement more data regulations in several sectors, such as the IT and financial activities in the Nordic countries, mainly Denmark and Sweden, some sector or collective agreements were already used to regulate telework before the enactment of the you framework agreement. Since 2002, the EU framework agreement has been implemented in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, through national framework agreements providing general guidelines and recommendations. So, with these mechanisms, the EU framework agreement was implemented in most of the sector of collective agreements in the Nordic countries. Nevertheless, a relevant aspect of the regulation of telework in the Nordic countries is that the occasional telework, which accounts for the highest proportion of telework arrangements, is mainly implemented through individual and informative agreements. In fact, previous research has identified that the regulation of telework in the Nordic countries is essentially based on a culture of what is termed freedom with responsibility, meaning that telework is largely self regulated under no particular managerial constraints, reliant on trust between employers and employees. Many governments have adopted a variety of temporary measures to foster telework as a preventive measure, to contain the spread of the COVID 19. Although some countries have issued only recommendations for telework, others have enforced telework at least during the peak of the pandemic. In countries such as France and Belgium, the capacity to enforce telework through forced measure was already provided for, in legal frameworks, to allow the continuity of a company's activity and guaranteed the protection of employees. Several countries have adopted a similar approach based on a state of emergency. These enforcement measures mean that the voluntary principle of telework has been temporarily suspended with telework becoming the default for all jobs that are considered teleworkable. Since the outbreak of COVID 19, social [inaudible] companies and employees in many countries have had to cope with an extraordinary situation in which the adoption of measures to enforce or recommend telework have been changing together with the evolution of the pandemic. In Belgium, for example, social partners have issued a cross sector collective bargaining agreement providing the framework for employers and employees to make proper arrangements regarding recommended or mandatory telework during the pandemic. The agreement covered telework arrangements in the private sector that do not fall into the categories of either regular or occasional telework defined by legislation in place prior to the pandemic. Some of the aspects at rest are flexibility in the implementation of arrangement, combined with the respect for social dialogue, and the provision of clear information to the employee, issues that have to be agreed between the employer and the employee like equipment and cost, working time, and availability. The worker's duty to perform the employee. The employer's duty to inform the employee of telework monitoring methods and respect the employee's privacy, respect for collective rise, and well being at work. Regarding well being, the agreement states that the teleworkers should receive guidelines on the ergonomics of workstations, the correct use of screens, and the prevention of psychological risks. These guidelines should be based on a risk assessment. The employees should be able to contact their supervisors or the competent prevention advisors about any issue relating to safety and health. In addition, the agreement states that the employer should take appropriate measures to maintain the connection between teleworkers and their colleagues. And to prevent isolation, including by facilitating gatherings at the company premises, while respecting sanitary measures. Provider to the adoption of temporary measures, public authorities have increased their efforts to collect and analyze evidence of the implementation of telework and the perceptions of both employers and employees through a new and regular surveys and specific studies. In general, the aim is to explore the advantages and drawbacks of this form of work organization, as well as future plans or preferences. In some cases, OSH aspects, such as risk management strategies, psychological risks, and overall well being, are analyzed more specifically. Public authorities have been also developing more specific OSH recommendations and new guidance and theories for companies, rely on managers and employees. In some cases, in collaboration with social partners. General guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID 19 at work have been combined with more specific guides and resources to facilitate the transition to safe teleworking, bearing in mind that many companies and teleworkers did not have previous experience with this work arrangement. The experience of extensive and prolonged telework since the outbreak of the pandemic has fueled changes in legislation and debates aimed at [inaudible] telework regulation in a post COVID 19 scenario. Several countries have already implemented legal changes. And legislation is underway in many other countries. In the Netherlands, for example, the flexible working act that regulates telework is under its regulation, aiming to investigate whether the views of employers and employees have changed since the outbreak of the pandemic, enhance whether legal changes are needed. The expanded telework necessitated by the pandemic has identified legal developments, not only in the new, but also around the world. I have included some examples of [inaudible]. In Argentina, the teleworking contracts law went into effect on April 1st, 2021. It established that the employees working for [inaudible] on a remote basis enjoy the same rights and protections as other workers, including limitations on working hours, and the rights of this comment. The employers are responsible for reimbursing teleworkers' expenses related to internet services, IT movement, and other tools and services. In Chile, the distance working and teleworking law went into effect on April 1st, 2020. According to the law, those teleworking and distance working arrangements require [inaudible] with employees that must be registered with the [inaudible]. Workers enjoy the same rights and entitlements as other employees, as well as the right to disconnect, for at least 12 continuous hours for 24 hours period. The Columbian Congress approved legislation in early April '21 to establish a regulatory framework for temporary from office work as separate and distinct from the existing framework for teleworkers who are [inaudible] employees who normally work [inaudible]. The law allows employers to implement home office work for up to three months, with the possibility of an extension, by written notice to employees, indicating the expected duration of the home office work [inaudible]. Some office workers who retain their employment rights, entitlements, and protections, and have the right to disconnect outside of normal working hours, the transportation allowance for employees earning up to two times the minimum wage was replaced with a connectivity allowance. The employer is also required to provide employees with the equipment necessary to work from home. Costa Rica's legislation approved this September of 2019, established a statutory framework for teleworking, requiring a written agreement detailing full terms and conditions. Teleworkers generally enjoy the same rights and protections as other employees. Working schedules may be flexible, as long as they comply with working time limits and the labor code. Employees are required to stay available that is online when working, and provide 24 hours' notice if unable to work for personal reasons. In Mexico, amendments the federal labor law, effective generally 12/2021, introduced the concept of teleworking, defined as staff dependent upon IT telecommunications equipment for contact and instruction from their employer, and working remotely at least 40% of the normal workweek. In addition to the provision and maintenance of equipment, employers are required to reimburse employees' costs related to telecommunication services and electricity consumption. In Russia, later code amendments, effective January 1st, 2021, expanded the circumstances under which remote work is possible, with the arrangements to be established by written mutual consent. In Turkey, effective March 10, 2021, the remote working regulation expanded existing provisions on teleworking. Ukraine's legislation enforced from February 27, 2021, established a country's first framework governing remote work, which may be occasional also, and home work where staff normally works somewhere other than on the employer's premises. In both cases, work arrangements and conditions should be stipulated in employees' written contracts, except when remote working is imposed by emergency reasons. The employer is responsible for providing the equipment necessary for employees to work remotely, and for reimbursing related expenses, unless agreed otherwise. I [inaudible] to address traditional review of telework arrangements. First, in March, 2022, Israeli Tel Aviv regional labor court decision, the courts reiterated that telework is management's prerogative, and is not an employee right. The court rejected the discrimination suit filed by an employee who was not authorized to telework based on the objective criteria of [inaudible] with her job performance. And that temporary period of her employment. There's currently no legislative or relation of remote work in Israel, a country where telework has been common in high tech industries before the pandemic, and has expanded during the pandemic throughout private industries, as well as in Israel government. The changes in work patterns have created competition among employers in Israel, how to attract talent by offering telework and flexible hours. Six private member bills were submitted to the Israeli parliament in 2020, 2021, and 2022, none of which have been considered to date. Israel's ministry of the economy has reportedly been preparing a bill for the regulation of remote work, with the political deadlock and the fifth election in less than a four years' schedule for November 1st, no legislative regulation of telework is expected in the next few months. I would like also to mention a case recently adjudicated by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, which confirmed that entitlement of teleworkers to the same rights as on site employees, including to the same amount of a severance package, in case of termination. The court extended the application of an article in the labor code that provided that quote remote work cannot be a reason for lowering the employee's wage, end quote, to severance packages. Common theme of this ruling that show a woman of the social policy committee of the federal assemblies federation council, this is the upper chamber of the legislature, clarified, she clarified some of the specific obligations for employers and employees during telework. According to her, a special communication schedule should be established defining the hours when employees are required to respond to employers' phone calls and electronic messages. Not responding to the employer outside of the established time frame, cannot be considered a disciplinary issue. She also said that the employer cannot decide for an employee where they should be located geographically. Anyplace where an employee can connect to the office can be considered a suitable workplace. However, employees are responsible for ensuring an uninterrupted connection with the office. Teleworking employees can be fired if they do not communicate with the employer for two days, and problems with online connections are not considered a justifiable reason for not working. I think, let me check, I think we may have a few minutes left for questions. Please feel free to use the Q&A feature to send your questions. Let me see if, what do I have here? Okay. Yeah, I'm not sure I have questions here. I was going over the messages here. I'll wait a little bit longer. Let me know if there are any questions or any requests. And of course you are welcome to use the ask the librarian service on our website if you have any follow up questions. Oh, I see some, I see a question here. Any obvious remote work related regulation of other country from Indonesia. I would be happy, actually, I think the best thing to do will be really to use the ask the librarian service that I believe you were provided a contact to, and we will have one of our staff people research Indonesian law on this point. Any additional questions? So, I do not see any additional questions at this time. As I said, we encourage you to contact us via, oh, I do have another question. Just a second. Well, I have one question, which is what do you see as challenges in the U.S. with workers [inaudible] and telework remote working? Well, I think this has to do with how telework is recorded. And is there any time frame? And so employers most likely will have to somehow be able to measure. I know measuring work is very difficult in certain types of jobs, such as myself doing research, you can devote a lot of time to a particular issue. It is different when you work maybe using different measuring techniques, such as number of applications, say I can imagine jobs that the work will be recorded this way. So, I think this issue will have to be maybe survey depending on the type of work that an employee is performing, or teleworking employee is performing. Okay, I think, I think that we need to end here. So, if I didn't answer any of your questions, we are, we would like to thank you for attending today's presentation. And we would like to know that you will see an evaluation survey as you leave this webinar. We ask you to complete the survey for us. We appreciate your feedback. And we'll be happy to respond to any follow up inquiries that you have. Thank you very much, and have a nice afternoon.