European employment law update Ukraine

Since early 2020, Ukrainian parliament adopted several laws aiming at regulation of flexible working and teleworking. The most recent of them is Law of 4 February 2021 No. 4051 (the “Law”), which entered into force on 27 February 2021 and replaced previous regulation on flexible worktime arrangements. The Law regulates remote and home-based work, as well as flexible working hours.

Remote work

Under the Law, it is possible for employees to work remotely, meaning from any place at the employee’s discretion, and with the use of communication technologies. When working remotely:

it is mandatory to enter into an employment agreement in writing; though exceptions apply for epidemics and other emergencies, in which case it is allowed for the employer to issue an order instead of signing a reciprocal employment agreement in writing;
employees are independently responsible for the safety of working conditions at their workplace (home or other), but the employer must hold relevant occupational safety trainings;