Anutin floats home working in light of PM2.5

(Bangkok Post file photo)

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has come up with an idea for employees of private companies to work from home, saying that this would probably help reduce the PM2.5 smog.

Mr Anutin, who earlier posted the idea on Facebook, said on Tuesday he would like the private sector to first put this into practice as it is more practical than the government sector.

For example, he said, a company may start doing this by allowing its staff to work from home on a selected day, such as Saturday. By doing this, the company can cut its operating costs while the employees can reduce the use of their cars and save on transportation costs. This could also help reduce the PM2.5 problem.

For private companies, working from home is not against the law. But for the government sector, this may go against some laws or regulations. It may take some time to amend them before state agencies can adopt the practice, said Mr Anutin.

Mr Anutin said he would discuss with parties in the coalition government what can be done to persuade the government sector to allow their officials to work from home as well.

He said the Transport Ministry is also thinking about preparing parking areas at all corners of the capital so people can park their cars before taking public transport.