Remote Work Employment in Uzbekistan

Types of remote work

Remote work can be set on hiring or later, on switching from the regular regime. A switch to remote work with the same job function is a change of working conditions; if the job function changes, it is a transfer to another job.

• permanent — a remote work contract for the whole term or a supplementary agreement on working away from a fixed workplace on a permanent basis;
• temporary — with the employee's consent for a set period (in days or months, by calendar dates or until an event occurs); the maximum temporary switch is one year, after which the employer must restore the previous regime;
• combined — alternating office and remote work by agreement; an employee is considered remote if at least 50% of their working time is remote.

How to draw up the contract

A remote work contract may be concluded in the usual way or by exchanging electronic documents; the employer's location is stated as the place of conclusion. If the contract was concluded electronically, at the employee's request the employer must post a paper copy by registered mail within three working days. The candidate may also submit hiring documents electronically.

Hiring or a switch to remote work is formalised by an order. The basis is the employment contract (on hiring), a supplementary agreement (permanent switch) or the employee's application consenting to the switch and its terms (temporary switch).

• the remote work schedule — the number and frequency of working days and hours;
• how information on tasks and their completion is exchanged;
• for the combined regime — office and remote periods and how they alternate;
• how equipment and office devices are provided, the employer's duty to repair them, the inventory procedure;
• provision of means of communication, including internet access;
• reimbursement when the employee uses their own equipment and communications;
• the employee's duty to report inability to complete a task on time;
• both parties' occupational safety duties.

Working time and the "right not to answer"

A remote employee's working time consists of fixed time, when they must be available, and time they allocate themselves based on the task. Self-allocated time is paid at the single rate; overtime, weekend, holiday and night premiums do not apply to it. Total monthly workload must not exceed normal or reduced working time.

The interaction procedure is set by a local act or the contract. Outside the time it sets, the employee is not obliged to answer calls and emails. If the procedure was not agreed or the employee was not made aware of it, they cannot be penalised for a late answer. Contact at weekends, on holidays, at night or beyond fixed time on the employer's initiative is weekend work or overtime, paid at increased rates.

Equipment, expenses and business trips

How and when the employee is supplied with equipment, software and information-security tools, how they report on work done, and the amount and timing of compensation for using their own computer, communications and other means are set by the collective agreement, local acts or agreement of the parties. Compensation for using the employee's own property is a separate payment and is best written into the contract as a specific amount or formula.

A remote employee's trip to the office on the employer's order, if they cannot return home daily, is a business trip, with travel expenses paid.

Pay and leave

Under time-based pay, a remote employee is paid for time actually worked; under piece-rate pay, for the volume actually completed. Pay must be comparable to that of on-site staff and cannot be below the statutory minimum wage when norms are met. If a regional coefficient applies where the employee works, it is applied.

A remote employee's annual leave is at least 21 calendar days unless they are entitled to longer leave by law or contract.

Temporary remote work in emergencies

In disasters, accidents, fire, flood, earthquake, epidemic and other exceptional cases, the employer may switch an employee to remote work temporarily and without consent. Priority goes to pregnant women, parents of children under 14, persons with disabilities, old-age pensioners and employees caring for sick family members. If the work cannot be done remotely, the employer may grant leave or introduce part-time work with at least two weeks' written notice.

Homework: how it differs

A homeworker produces goods or provides services to the employer's orders at home or on their own premises. A written employment contract is concluded, setting out how raw materials and equipment are supplied and output accepted, and how energy, water and communication costs are reimbursed. Homeworkers are usually paid by the piece — for work actually done to the required quality, not below the minimum wage when norms are met. They may not be given work requiring a licence, heavy or technically complex equipment, or hazardous chemicals.

When a remote employee's contract is terminated electronically, the employer must post them a paper copy of the termination order by registered mail on the day of termination.