Telework is still largely regulated at company level in the EU and only a few countries (France, Lithuania, Portugal, the Netherlands and soon Germany and Ireland) include the right of employees to request telework in their legislation, according to a study by Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, published on Thursday, 1 September.
Although the right to disconnect has recently been extended in several countries, with six Member States having developed new legislation since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, “it does not extend to the whole of the EU and its implementation differs between Member States”, notes Eurofound.
Standards and practices also vary on issues such as health and safety, working time and pay.
“Shared standards are needed to protect teleworkers across the EU equally”, adds Eurofound.
“Telework is here to stay. Monitoring developments in Member States must remain a priority for policymakers, particularly on issues such as different types of telework arrangements, the organisation of working time, the right to disconnect, the right to request telework, [...] work–life balance and psychosocial risks.”
Link to the study: https://aeur.eu/f/2wp (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)