PEZA Memo Circular: 70/30 Scheme

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and IT Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) accredited companies had a meeting regarding the implementation of a 70/30 ratio starting April to September this year.

Four days ago the HR manager from the company I am connected with issued a memo about this released memo by PEZA.

This means that employees need to return to work in their offices from a work from home set up. However instead of returning 100% employee’s onsite it will only be 70% then the 30% will still be working at home.

They conducted a survey for all of us employees regarding the memo that offers relocation for employees working outside Metro Manila.

Are we ready to work back onsite?

First things first when the health crisis has almost come to an end, the economic status is going back to its normal state globally.

Most people that had been laid off from the job started anew and some companies begin to operate just like normal but should still follow health protocols.

If I am going to ask, I can agree to the memo released by PEZA. I would be willing to go back to work in the office even if I would still want to work at home. I don't think I have a valid reason to be a part of the 30% employees still working from home.

I always wanted to be working at home but for the two years that I have been on this work type, I can now compare the differences between work from home and work onsite.

Below are few comparisons I have made based on my own experience working at home and work onsite:

As you can see the first factor that affects my work from home set up is the ventilation. I don’t have an air-conditioning system at home. That is why it is really a struggle working in poor ventilation especially now that it is already summer here in PH.

Then the variety of noises from outside like cars passing by, children playing and shouting, construction working from the neighborhood and the undying videoke.

As for transportation, I will not have to worry about coming late due to traffic conditions because I will no longer commute.

We are given an allowance when we start to work at home and definitely it will be deducted again when we will have to go back onsite.

Sleeping time of course will be less because I have to travel back and forth from home and office. That will consume hours. Unlike when working at home, you can even login on time even if you wake up late.

Lastly, the expenses, which I will have to spend for my lunch and snacks compared to working at home. Then the gas for my motorcycle but it is way cheaper than commuting.

One thing that worries me is the chance of going back to smoking again. I stopped smoking when I started working at home. Honestly I never smoke at home or even go to the store next block to light a cigarette. But when I am at the office there is always a tendency for me to smoke. I think because I have a stress reliever at home and that the only thing that relieves my stress in the office is through smoking.

Sometimes I would like to believe in the joke, that being a Workforce Analyst is as easy as riding a bike. Except that the bike is on fire. You are on fire. Everything is on fire and you are in hell.

Anyway I hope some of you whose employers are abiding by the PEZA regulations can manage to go back working onsite. Particularly those living far from their offices and need to endure the struggles of commuting. 

But most importantly everything is slowly going back to normal. 

Thanks for reading. Ciao!

 Lead image source credits to Israel Andrade