Current norms and policies governing remote work

The Remaking partners at the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU), Politecnico di Milano, have conducted a review of all the rules and regulations defining remote work today in Europe, and have produced a Policy Brief summarising all these findings.

Originating as a niche practice in the 1970s, teleworking has since evolved through technological advances, legislation and changing labour dynamics. Recognition of teleworking as an acceptable practice by governments emerged in the 1990s, when policymakers viewed telework as a strategic means to promote employment and reduce urban density. Between the 2000s and 2010s, there was considerable growth and tentative legitimation of telework, becoming more mainstream in many sectors with the growth of the “gig economy,” in which freelancers and independent contractors worked remotely on a regular basis.

The COVID-19 pandemic marked a key shift, accelerating the adoption of teleworking and flexible working arrangements. In 2020, at the peak of lockdowns, around half of all employees in the EU were working from home at least part of the time (where their jobs allowed it). This mass experiment in teleworking, born of public health necessity, proved that remote work at scale was feasible, but it also exposed regulatory gaps and new challenges.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, EU countries transitioned from crisis management to a sustainable framework. Across the EU, policymakers raced to promulgate and update laws and guidelines on remote work in 2020–2021, effectively accelerating reforms that might otherwise have taken years. Robust regulatory intervention is considered not just advisable but essential, while ensuring fairness, protecting rights, and guiding sustainable implementation.

The Remaking partners have gone through all the EU and country-level laws and regulations, providing an insightful comparison among countries, together with a critical presentation of the data. They saw that the regulatory framework for remote working reflects a wide spectrum of institutional norms, legal approaches and maturity, and policy objectives across Europe. The analysis includes aspects such as the context in which the legislations were enacted in different countries, the recognition and implementation of the so-called right to disconnect, and the legislative frameworks for digital nomads.

Infographic based on data from the review conducted by POLIMI partners:

In the video below, Federica Rossi explains the key details of the research they have carried out on all the rules and regulations defining remote work today in Europe.