One of the most important issues regarding telework and the use of digital tools is how they affect employees’ work environment, the Commission notes.
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Greater autonomy over where and when to work can, on the one hand, lead to a better work–life balance, which benefits workers’ mental health.
On the other hand, it can also bring psychosocial and physical health risks.
These include an increase in work-related contacts during rest periods, increased expectations of the worker to be available, longer working hours and difficulty disconnecting from work, the Commission writes in its justification for why EU action is needed.
According to a 2019 Eurostat study, Finland and Sweden were among the countries that stood out, with just over 30 per cent of employees reporting being contacted outside normal working hours.
There is also a gender aspect here.
Women teleworkers, especially mothers, have been shown to suffer more from the blurring of boundaries between work and private life, partly because they still take on most of the childcare and household duties while working from home.
In consultation with the European social partners, the Commission is therefore proposing that the EU take one or more initiatives to reduce the negative effects on workers and organisations of the “always-on” culture encouraged by digital tools, and to promote transparency, fair working conditions and high-quality remote work.
The issue is not new. The European Parliament called for rules on the right to disconnect as early as 2021.
The following year, the European Trade Union Confederation and the employers’ organisations BusinessEurope, SMEunited and SGI Europe agreed to try to negotiate an agreement on telework and the right to disconnect.
Their shared goal was for the agreement to then become binding in the member states through an EU directive.
In 2023, the negotiators had an agreement ready, but when it was put to a vote among their members, some employers’ organisations refused to back it. Among those voting in favour was the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, which considered the agreement a workable compromise.
However, the political climate has since changed.
During the Commission’s recent consultation with the social partners, it became clear that employers are now opposed to binding rules – except perhaps in the case of cross-border telework. They argue that the EU’s Working Time Directive and other health and safety directives are sufficient to address any existing issues.
The Commission disagrees, stating that the Framework Directive on health and safety, the Display Screen Equipment Directive, and the Workplace Minimum Requirements Directive all have gaps.
What will come of it all remains to be seen.
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