Telework During the Pandemic. Alternative Solution, or Legal Obligation?

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced all economic sectors to reconsider their forms and means of work in order to protect the life and health of their employees. Under these circumstances, telework - used for over two decades in sectors related to information technology - has become a generally applicable solution (with the exception of some areas such as agriculture, construction, services requiring direct activities, etc.). The authorities initially recommended that as many workers as possible should telework and revised the legislation to adapt it to the challenges of today. Then, given the positive results, they introduced various incentives to encourage telework. Lately, there has been a shift towards establishing legal rules making telework a mandatory form of telework in health risk situations. Our paper thus details the status of telework in most European countries.