Event

Remote Working - Debating the benefits, challenges and risks

The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote working. It has become evident during the COVID-19 pandemic that remote working has many positive aspects, such as greater flexibility and more autonomy.

It does come, however, with a series of challenges such as organising working time, the right to disconnect, or reconciling professional and personal life, which affects gender equality greatly. Remote working has also consequences for health and safety at work and more flexibility in the way and from where the work is performed may also be complemented by digital surveillance and monitoring. Some studies also point out the possible impact on the labour demand and the risk of increasing the flexible remote workforce to cut jobs and pay.

Workers and employers seem to prefer hybrid systems, working from home and working in the office, as the best model for the future. It is necessary to find a balance in the regulation of teleworking, and there seems to be consensus that any European initiative in this area must be built through dialogue with social partners.

This lunch-time public debate shall offer a platform to inform and discuss these issues with experts from the labour law field, social partners and the European Commission.