Cyprus shifts remote work safety duty to employees in revised bill

NICOSIA, CYPRUS — A revised Cyprus telework bill places the legal onus for home-office health and safety on public-sector employees, a change crucial to the country’s disbursement of the recovery fund.

Philenews reports that this change, which removes a previous clause requiring employers to provide safety instructions, aims to resolve a key parliamentary dispute and advance legislation that is a prerequisite for the country’s next disbursement under the Recovery Plan.

Cyprus telework bill redefines employee safety duties

A central thrust of the revised legislation is the clear assignment of responsibility for safe remote working conditions directly to public sector employees. 

The bill mandates that employees ensure their telework space is suitable for the effective performance of their duties, as defined by forthcoming official guidelines. 

This provision directly addresses the previously unresolved parliamentary question regarding liability for accidents occurring outside the traditional office.

To support this new personnel obligation, the Ministry of Finance will publish detailed guidelines that include the preventive and protective precautions. 

This is a change in structure, in contrast to the previous form of the bill, which contained a provision requiring the employer to provide such instructions; the requirement has been formally abolished. 

The government’s approach, which has received agreement from the Data Protection Commissioner, Maria Christofidou, consolidates safety guidance into a single state-issued framework rather than individual employer mandates.

New flexible work rules for Cyprus civil servants

The remote work bill is part of a broader package of flexible work arrangements designed to help civil servants balance professional and family life. 

Alongside the telework regulations, the government is introducing measures for reduced working hours and extended flexible hours, which will be presented to the Finance Committee. These initiatives collectively represent a significant modernization of public sector employment terms.

The shortened schedule will cut working time by one and a half to two hours per day for eligible employees, including parents of children under 15 years of age, caregivers of specific caregivers, and employees with disabilities or serious health conditions. 

At the same time, flexible working hours will be extended, allowing workers to arrive between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. 

Such increased flexibility, however, is accompanied by a financial change for those working reduced hours, as they will now be paid at a lower proportional rate and receive their payments on a thirteenth-month basis.

The policy redefines the social contract for remote work, shifting long-standing employer obligations onto employees and potentially setting a precedent for others.