Members of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) discuss the impact of teleworking and digital work on workers and society, in the European Parliament in Brussels. Extracts from the meeting and statement by Alex AGIUS SALIBA (S&D, MT).

Brussels

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

statement

meeting

working conditions in the EU (T)

AGIUS SALIBA, Alex (S&D, MT)

The impact of teleworking and digital work on workers and society: extracts from the meeting in EMPL Committee and statement by Alex AGIUS SALIBA (S&D, MT)

Title: The impact of teleworking and digital work on workers and society: extracts from the meeting in EMPL Committee and statement by Alex AGIUS SALIBA (S&amp;D, MT)

SOUNDBITE (English), Manuela SAMEK LUDOVICI, Institute for Social Research, Milan, There was a very sharp increase in the use of telework, especially home telework, during the covid pandemic. The share of workers went from less than 16 percent before the pandemic to more than 36 percent, more than one third of workers during the pandemic.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manuela SAMEK LUDOVICI, Institute for Social Research, Milan, These forms of work involved a much wider range of sectors and occupations than before, although it was still predominantly used by white collar, highly educated workers with strong digital skills.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manuela SAMEK LUDOVICI, Institute for Social Research, Milan, In the future And it is already starting now. The expectations are that the use of teleworking will continue, although in more hybrid forms, not full time as during the covid pandemic, about from one to three days per week.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manuela SAMEK LUDOVICI, Institute for Social Research, Milan, There is a much greater time and place flexibility and also a greater job autonomy on the workers side, which is very appreciated by teleworkers. And this also supports a better work life balance and also, of course, to reduce commuting time. However, there are also drawbacks.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manuela SAMEK LUDOVICI, Institute for Social Research, Milan, There is evidence that work as highly mobile telework as those that change place of work very often report very high levels of anxiety, stress and fatigue. Forty one percent of these workers report these type of effects, compared to only twenty five percent of workers that stay in work in usual workplaces. And also there is an increase in sleeping disorders amongst these workers.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manuela SAMEK LUDOVICI, Institute for Social Research, Milan,There are challenges for the physical health of workers, especially again for intensive use of ICT devices in places that are not good for work or do not have the ergonomic equipment and space, they increase the problem of physical musculoskeletal disorders, headaches, eye strains.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manuela SAMEK LUDOVICI, Institute for Social Research, Milan, The negative effects related to virtual presentism, which means even when you are sick, if you work from home, you continue working.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manuela SAMEK LUDOVICI, Institute for Social Research, Milan, There is an increase in employer demand and use of online workplace surveillance tools, and this is potentially undermining workers rights to privacy and equal treatment.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manuela SAMEK LUDOVICI, Institute for Social Research, Milan, Increasing the attention to specific rights for these workers so right to disconnect equal pay and treatment compared to other workers in terms of working hours, health and safety measures, digital training and equipment, and the right to privacy and data protection.

SOUNDBITE (English), Alex AGIUS SALIBA (S&amp;D, MT), Rapporteur Right to disconnect, We need to catch up with the new realities of our workforce. We need to catch up with mobile work, with teleworking, which is important also, and left its positive mark on our lives. It has saved countless amount of jobs. It has reduced commuting times, but at the same times our workers are paying the highest price. They are paying the highest price because of the negative effects, overwork, digital obesity, depression, muscular and eye illnesses. So there are these negative effects which we as a European Union can prevent. And we can prevent this by regulating the future of telework. We can do so by not continue to rely, and this is something that came out also from the study on the 2010 framework that was agreed to by social partners, which is not, which cannot be implemented in each and every member state because they are just recommendations. So we need a proper framework of legislation and also we need the right to disconnect as soon as possible.

SOUNDBITE (English), Alex AGIUS SALIBA (S&amp;D, MT), Rapporteur Right to disconnect, The raison d'etre behind the right to disconnect is that of creating this line, this line between working time and private time and family time and rest time, which is unclear. And the new realities that we are living in today with this overwork, with this atypical work which is more prominent.

SOUNDBITE (English), Alex AGIUS SALIBA (S&amp;D, MT), Rapporteur Right to disconnect, So it's really important to have this legislation approved at EU level so that these fundamental rights of our workers, which is the fundamental right of proper rest time, weekly and daily rest time, is protected in the new digital realities that we are living. The parliament was very clear in the recommendations we have basically approved, a fully fledged, fully developed piece of legislation, a fully developed directive. Therefore, now the ball is in the Commission's court.