MANILA - Workers in the IT-BPM industry should be given additional compensation and benefits if their companies force them to go back to onsite work, a group representing BPO employees said on Monday.

This follows reports that more BPO employees are resigning from companies that require them to return to work onsite.

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Mylene Cabalona, spokesperson of the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN), said traveling to and from work is costly for them amid the rising cost of goods and services in the country.

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“Hindi talaga sapat na yung suweldo doon sa costly public transport,” she said.

(Our pay is not enough amid the costly public transport.)

“Bakit hindi na lang kami bigyan ng tax holiday? Malaking bagay ang P3,000 na tax namin. O kaya dagdagan nila, ayusin nila, gawin nilang standard yung mga suweldo ng BPO workers. Kung ngayon nasa P13,000-P16,000 entry level plus allowance, bakit gawin nilang nakabubuhay, gawin nilang P30,000?” she asked.

(Why don’t they give us a tax holiday? Our P3,000 tax already means a lot to us. Or could they standardize the salaries of BPO employees. If it’s currently at P13,000-P16,000 with allowances for entry-level employees, why don’t they make it P30,000?)

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) meanwhile is calling on employers to look into the benefits of remote work and the Telecommuting Law.

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DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said remote work has benefits for both employers and businessmen.

“Alam po natin na meron pong mga trabaho na pwedeng gawin sa bahay at napatunayan po natin ito sa nakalipas na dalawang taon at kalahati,” he said.

(There is work that can be done at home, and we’ve proven that for the past 2 and half years.)

“Nakakatulong, hindi lang naman sa manggagawa, pati sa namumuhunan kasi walang disruption sa operation, patuloy na makapagdulot ng deliverables ang atin pong manggagawa, mai-improve pa yung tinatawag natin na quality of life,” the official added.

(Remote work is helpful not just for employees but also for investors—it ensures that operations are not disrupted, that employees can hand in their deliverables, and we improve their quality of life.)

The government has pushed BPOs to order their employees to go back to their offices to work, or lose their tax perks. This was despite the call of industry groups to allow hybrid work, saying workers prefer this and that productivity has even increased amid remote work.

Some BPOs meanwhile have chosen to forego their tax perks to continue allowing their workers to work remotely.

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