Legal Implications of Cross-Border Remote Work

Cross-Border Remote Work

Employers Should Have Clear Policies Governing Cross-Border Remote Work Arrangements

In early June 2021, Facebook announced that employees whose jobs could be done remotely may request to work remotely from wherever they may be and that it would support remote work opportunities inter alia, in Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions, allowing employees to move from anywhere to the UK. This is but one of the many examples of how the COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered the way we work.  In response to the risks of virus transmission, travel restrictions, quarantines and lockdowns forcing employees to work from home, cross-border remote working arrangements have increasingly become prevalent and will likely be a permanent work arrangement for many employers after the pandemic ends, as employers seek to capitalise on the global workforce.

Given the various issues that may arise when an employee works remotely from a country that is different from the one that the employer is based in, employers should generally, and as a matter of good practice, have in place clear policies governing remote working and consult their legal and tax advisors in Singapore and the relevant overseas jurisdiction where the employees are intended to be stationed, prior to engaging in cross-border remote work.

This article by Wong Pei-Ling and Jolyn Wah of CNPLaw LLP broadly considers some of the issues that may arise when implementing cross-border remote work. read more

Source: CNPLaw LLP