The COVID-19 pandemic put teleworking in the spotlight, with more than half of employers in Spain offering this modality during the state of alarm. However, four years later, only 8% of employees continue to work remotely, well below their potential. Despite the positive experience of many during the pandemic, widespread implementation of teleworking remains limited.
Irene Rovira Ferrer, researcher at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), highlights that teleworking not only benefits employees, but also employers and the State. The UN considers teleworking a key tool to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to Rovira, consolidating teleworking can improve the profitability of companies, offer a positive experience to employees and help the State comply with the 2030 Agenda.
Rovira leads the research “Encouraging employers and mitigating legal uncertainty: two key factors in the consolidation of remote work.” This study, part of the project “The necessary consolidation of remote work: opportunities, challenges and proposals” funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, seeks to identify the main reluctance of employers and the problems of legal uncertainty that hinder adoption of teleworking.
Advantages of Teleworking
Teleworking offers multiple advantages. It allows companies to reduce costs and access broader talent, without traditional physical barriers. In addition, it contributes to reducing travel, which has a positive impact on the environment and improves work-life balance. It also favors the socio-labor inclusion of people with disabilities and the repopulation of rural areas.
Despite its benefits, the consolidation of teleworking in Spain faces two major challenges: the reluctance of employers and the legal uncertainty derived from current regulations. Law 10/2021, of July 9, on remote work, establishes obligations such as the provision of tools and the compensation of expenses, which can be complex and have tax and Social Security contribution implications.
Regarding this, Rovira’s research team is working to identify the reasons that lead employers to not contemplate teleworking and to create guides that help fulfill obligations optimally. In addition, they seek to clarify and analyze the legal impact of teleworking at an international level and propose regulatory reforms to guarantee respect for the rights and well-being of employers and employees, as well as the sustainability of the derived obligations.
