Associated with the coronavirus pandemic has been a surge in the relative share of telework, which rose from 5% in 2019 to 37% in April 2020. “With the easing of lockdown arrangements, this proportion will certainly decline. However there is a good chance that more workers than previously will continue to work remotely,” Barbara Gerstenberger, Head of the Working Life unit at Eurofound*, told the European Parliament on 23 June, before outlining the advantages and disadvantages of such flexible working.
Ms. Gerstenberger’s speech sought to inform MEPs on the right to disconnect, which Eurofound defines as ‘the right for workers to switch off their technological devices after work without suffering any consequences if they do not respond to e-mails, phone calls or SMS messages.’