Following the success achieved by the remote working system during official holidays and in line with the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry decided to activate the remote working decision which was issued in 2017. The decision allows some employees to work from home in a bid to cut down on direct contact between employees and investors.

In the first stage, a number of employees in the departments concerned with the issuance of e-licences will be allowed to work from home. The ministry called on all investors to use the ministry’s e-services provided by the Invest-Easy system which account for 88 services relating to the commercial register and licence issuing services for the entities that are connected to the system as well as the commercial agencies and certificate of origin services.

The decision comprises four articles pertaining to the rights and duties of employees. The third article provides for the regulations of the remote working system with the most important point being that the employee’s job responsibilities are executable online via the Invest-Easy system and the modern means of information and communication. The fourth articles states that the employees working form home will be under the supervision of their superiors who will follow on the transactions accomplished by each employee and the amount of time they it took them to do so. The decision also stipulates that the employees working from home should commit to the official working days and they have to keep records of the transactions that should be accomplished on a daily basis in accordance to the schedule.

SOURCE : OMANOBSERVER