In France, the government asks employers to set, from Monday 3 January and for “three weeks, a minimum number of three days of teleworking per week for positions which allow it”. And when possible, “this number can be increased to four days a week”. Abroad, is telework also widespread?
In Spain, the culture of presenteeism
In Spain, there is no obligation, the big companies practice it a little, the small ones much less. The law has been reformed to facilitate teleworking but in practice it is not yet very widespread. We can frankly speak of failure. A collective failure, policies, companies, unions also probably. The proportion of active Spanish workers who worked at least half of their time remotely, three days a week for example, was in the third quarter of 2021 at 8%, according to figures from an observatory that depends on the Ministry of the Economy. But the worst part is that this share of teleworking is in constant decline. It was 16% in the second quarter of 2020, therefore double the current rate, 11% in the first quarter of 2021 and 9% in the second quarter.
For this failure, there is not a major cause identified. The newspaper El Confidencial took a long look at the subject, interviewing economic players and experts. Among the avenues for reflection, there is what is called the culture of presenteeism: you have to be seated in your chair at the office to be seen by the boss, even if you would be more productive at home. There is also the size of the companies. Spain is, with Italy and Malta, one of the European countries where there are the most micro-enterprises, with less than ten employees. Precisely those who have the most difficulty in installing telework. And then the regulation is not at all binding. The law put in place in February 2021 only speaks of encouraging teleworking… and the government recalled that this was in no way an obligation, neither for the employee nor for the employer.
Failing to facilitate teleworking for Spaniards, the country wants to attract teleworking from foreigners. These are the so-called digital nomads that different regions want to attract. First, there were individual initiatives. Municipalities on the coast, Benidorm, Barcelona, island or sunny regions, the Canaries, Andalusia, have launched campaigns on the subject. It allows to fill the hotels or tourist apartments. And then three weeks ago, the central government passed a law on start-ups which includes a whole specific component. “The bill sets up a simplified procedure for obtaining visas and residence permits for teleworking of highly qualified workers, says Economy Minister Nadia Calviño. They will also be able to benefit from the income tax regime for non-residents for a maximum of five years. These are important steps to attract digital nomads to our country. “
Tax advantages therefore, and a simplified bureaucracy. Note that Spanish expatriates for five years can also benefit from these advantages if they return to the country to establish their activity.
In the United Kingdom, no obligation but a recommendation
Teleworking has been back in the UK since last December, to curb the “Omicron variant tidal wave” according to Boris Johnson. Home working in English is not compulsory and never has been. But the tone of the Prime Minister has changed since the first confinement. In 2020, the message was clear: work from home unless impossible. Today the message is blurry: work from home if you can, go to work if you have to. The government just recommends that those who have to go to work get tested regularly, but does not make it mandatory. Wales is an exception in the UK, where teleworking is mandatory. Companies face a fine of 1,000 pounds, and employees, 60 pounds.
The announcement of the return to teleworking was rather well received by the public and employees. The same goes for politicians, even if some are not deprived of mocking the government which authorized Christmas celebrations between friends and colleagues, as tradition dictates. Conservative MPs, in principle hostile to restrictions, rebelled more against the health pass than teleworking. The government is reassuring and claims that the UK has one of the least restrictive systems in Europe. On the business side, they are adapting. Most do not close their premises to allow employees to access their work tools. But you only have to walk around the City to find that the offices are empty, many shops and restaurants are closed, and the gyms are in dire need.
The government was already thinking about the issue of teleworking before the pandemic, but of course circumstances precipitated things. In September, the government decided that an employee could ask his employer to telework as soon as he was hired. Whereas before, you had to stay at least 6 months in a box before submitting such a request. In 2020, just over a third of workers had experimented with telecommuting, according to a British study.
Several positive trends can be noted: more than half of women believe that their careers have been boosted, older employees are ready to postpone their retirement, and companies are emphasizing the well-being of their employees. Finally, to end on a light note: in September, the British, back in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, made Thursday evening “Thirsty Thursday”. It is now Thursday and no longer Friday, that we meet, in the evening, around a pint in the pub.