Time for the Remote Work Act – Sundswalls Ditning

to reach Sweden and the EU’s climate targets require a behavioral change, and more remote work is an important part.

The percentage of people who worked remotely increased from 15 to 57 percent during the pandemic, and 88 percent of Swedes prefer to work from home at least one day a week. It’s good that we can become more efficient by working somewhat remotely, which can happen in a variety of workplaces, while at the same time piecing together the puzzle of life.

Today, there are industrial colleagues who have been rejected by their employer despite having a similar job, working remotely one day a week. In addition, three in ten are concerned that working remotely will reduce their chances of promotion, and almost a quarter believe it is negative for wage growth.

This defect Equal treatment and prognosis affect the individual, but also society as a whole. We don’t get the climate benefits that remote jobs can bring; Working remotely two days a week can cut rush-hour commutes by 40 percent. The road network and public transport do not need to be scaled based on commuting to and from work at the same time every day, parking and office areas can be reduced and the cityscape becomes more vibrant.

Sweden must follow the Netherlands’ flexible working law, which gives employees the right to request to work from home either fully or partially. It can only be refused if the employer has a good reason, such as the work cannot be done elsewhere, scheduling is impossible or the home workplace is inappropriate. An exemption is granted for companies with fewer than ten employees, provided the employee has been employed for at least six months and the request must be submitted in writing within two months of the desired start date.

There is Great Britain A right to request flexible working was introduced, which could be refused on eight grounds: unreasonable extra costs; Lack of ability to meet customer demand; inability to reorganize work among existing employees or recruit additional employees; adverse impact on quality or performance; Unemployment and planned structural changes in the organization. A rejection can be appealed internally, to an employment tribunal or under a specialized arbitration system.

Spanish law stipulates that telecommuters should not be treated differently and that the employer must bear all reasonable costs of working from home.

There is Portugal Introduced the right to remote work for those with children under three, and single parents up to eight. In all other cases, the employee may apply for remote work, and the employer must justify the refusal in writing. Telecommuters have the right to be compensated for additional expenses and not be supervised at home, with an obligation to be at the workplace when needed.

What is common is that the employer has the burden of proof: the refusal to telework must be objectively justified. The passive-no ends, we get a better discussion, equal treatment and prognosis.

It’s time for telecommunications legislation in Sweden too.

Mathias Goldman, 2030 Secretariat