Advantages and disadvantages of teleworking

The telework is a flexible way of organising work which consists of the carrying out an occupational activity without the physical presence of the worker in the company, either on a full-time or part-time basis. Professional activity in telework involves the use of some means of telecommunication for contact between the teleworker and the company. That is to say, teleworking, as the name suggests, is to work in a place other than the office. 

This working model has spread exponentially in Spain during the pandemic and many companies have decided to maintain it today, as they have been able to see first-hand the benefits that it has brought. multiple benefits for both the company and the employees. 

Working from home is a convenient and win-win option But we must always keep our objectives in mind, without letting distance from colleagues and customers distract us from the concept of work. There are many experts who support this way of working as a step towards the success of many organisations and companies. 

There are different types of telework or telecommuting: 

• Mixed distance and face-to-face work. The worker works from home and in the office on certain days of the week.
• Full-time teleworking. It is carried out from a fixed location, usually the worker's home.
• Mobile work. The worker travels regularly due to the characteristics of his job and does not have a workplace as such. This is typically the case for sales representatives or maintenance technicians. 

Advantages of telework for the company 

Teleworking or working away from the office involves a number of benefits for the company such as: 

• Retaining talent of workers who, for personal reasons, need to better reconcile their personal and working lives.  
• Access a larger number of freelance collaborators. working from anywhere in the world. The reach of telework allows employers to access a larger pool of potential workers. 
• Increasing productivity, The employee is more concentrated at home and has fewer distractions.
• Saving costs office utilities such as electricity, water... 
• Helping to improving work-life balance This will result in higher employee motivation and productivity. 
• Offering teleworking as a benefit can help employers to bear the cost of hiring a highly skilled labour force and keep these workers connected to the office and to each other, no matter where they are.  
• Locating in a high-cost, high-demand urban area is more affordable for an employer when teleworking allows the employer to consume less square metres per worker, which reduces the associated space and energy costs. 
• Increasing respect for others. A digital presence creates a different atmosphere and, unlike in a physical environment, tends to make a colleague's time much more valuable. 

Advantages of telework for the worker 

Teleworking also offers a number of employee benefits, Some of the most significant of these are as follows: 

• Helping each individual to think at his or her own pace. Remote work allows the team to do something that is sometimes difficult in the office. In this way of working, everyone has their own physical and mental space and there is a better quality in the ideas that emerge. 
• Flexibility and autonomy. Working from home allows workers to organise their time as they need and want. Usually the company demands the fulfilment of a certain number of hours or the achievement of certain objectives, regardless of how we organise ourselves to achieve them. 
• Saving time. By not having to travel to the workplace, the worker saves a significant amount of time, as well as improving his or her stress level by not having to deal with traffic, transport delays, etc. All this results in an improvement in the quality of life. 
• Economic savings. Especially for workers whose travel expenses, meals, etc. are not covered by the company. 
• Improves motivation and productivity. Telecommuting offers greater convenience to the employee as it allows him/her to deal with all kinds of unforeseen events in everyday life that may arise. This makes the employee value the advantages of their work situation more, increasing their motivation and commitment to the company.  
• Better reconciliation of work and family life. One of the advantages most valued by employees. Saving time and the freedom to organise the working day are two key factors in achieving a better balance between personal and family life and professional life.
• It allows for integration. Telework is an important opportunity for people with reduced mobility, who find it very difficult to travel, to access employment. 
• Allows living in areas where it was previously unthinkable., The rural areas are far away from the big cities.

Disadvantages of telework for the company 

But it is not all advantages and this working model also has its downsides for the company. Let's take a look at some of the most important disadvantages of teleworking for the company:  

• Difficulty in controlling how the team is working and what it is doing. 
• Deterioration of the quality of work due to less supervision. 
• Problems in employee skills development, They do not have access to training programmes. 
• Reduced security when handling sensitive information.
• Increase in the cost of communication; for example, in telephone and internet bills. 
• Decline in team spirit, which can be difficult to maintain when members are separated.

Disadvantages of telework for the worker 

Even if it seems that this is not possible, teleworking also brings with it a number of disadvantages or drawbacks for the worker. Here are some of the most important ones: 

• Difficulty in organising. Working from home often makes it difficult to dissociate personal or family life from work, especially when it is difficult to if there are children at home. For this reason, teleworking requires a lot of organisation and discipline, which it is essential to comply with, learning to manage time efficiently. 
• Reduced worker identification with the company. By not sharing a physical space with co-workers and lacking a working environment, teleworking can sometimes lead to an emotional disengagement of the worker from the company. 
• Isolation. The lack of working environment and relationships with colleagues can also lead to isolation and reduced employee involvement with the company. 
• Difficulty in teamwork. Virtual contact can never replace face-to-face meetings. In these circumstances, maintaining a team working environment is more difficult among teleworkers. 
• Hampers promotion. Teleworking virtually eliminates hierarchies in the company, so that the employee usually maintains direct contact with only one boss. This makes it more difficult for the employee to be promoted within the company.
• Makes it difficult to disconnect from work. Living and working in the same setting can make it difficult to switch off mentally and to separate the two.  
• Reduced ergonomics. Teleworkers tend to neglect important health aspects such as ergonomics and occupational health and safety measures.

Keys to be more efficient in teleworking 

For getting the most out of a teleworking working day we must take into account a number of aspects such as:  

• Timetabling. The working day should always start at the same time and if possible also end at the same time every day. 
• Task management. Meticulous and thorough task control is essential. This is the most practical way to have an effective system and to manage time properly. Set daily or weekly targets, prioritise tasks in order of importance and monitor their achievement.  
• Personal image. Every day before work you have to get dressed and get ready, even if you feel lazy. It is not advisable to work in your pyjamas because, mentally, being dressed makes you realise that you are working and your attitude will be much more proactive. 
• Reserve a space. It is essential to always have the same place to work where we can forget about the domestic environment and focus on our tasks.
• Take breaks. Just as if we were in the office, we have to set working hours and breaks.  
• Staying connected. As we do not have direct contact with our colleagues, it is very important that we are in constant communication with them and with our superiors. Productivity also depends on our team, so we must always try to be connected and available so as not to slow down our own and our colleagues' pace.

New Telework Law 

The new Telework Law was published in the Official State Gazette on 23 September 2020 and came into force 20 days after its publication. This law made it possible to put an end to a regulation that the crisis caused by the pandemic had shown to be obsolete. With effect from 11 July 2021, the Law 10/2021 of 9 July, The new law on distance working replaced Royal Decree-Law 28/2020 of 22 September following its validation by Congress. 

Law 10/2021 covers many aspects, from the limits of teleworking, flexible working hours, who has to bear the costs and which workers are eligible for teleworking.  

What situations are considered telework?

Workers who sporadically work from home are not subject to these rules. It is therefore necessary to look at what is considered sporadic and what is meant by teleworking on a regular basis. 

The rule states that telecommuting or teleworking is work that is performed for at least 30% of the working day., in a reference period of 3 months. In other words, in a contract of 40 hours and 5 days a week, telework is considered to be telework when it is carried out for at least one and a half days a week. This allows companies to offer one day of teleworking without having to comply with the other teleworking obligations. 

Voluntariness 

The telework should be voluntary and a written agreement between the company and the employee must be formalised to reflect this. Equivalently, it is also possible for either party to terminate telework and return to the previous situation. The employee cannot be forced to telework but neither can he/she claim to do so. 

In addition, the law states that all persons performing remote work shall have the same rights as if they were in the face-to-face workplace and shall not suffer any disadvantages, including in terms of pay, stability, working hours, promotion or professional training. 

What needs to be in the telework agreement?

All the details of teleworking should be set out in writing. These are the points to be agreed between the company and the employee: 

• Inventory of the means, equipment and tools required for the agreed remote work, including consumables and movable items, as well as the useful life or maximum period for renewing them. 
• Expenses that the remote worker may incur and how (how and when) the company should compensate them. 
• Working hours and availability rules. 
• The percentage and distribution between face-to-face and distance work.
• The location chosen by the employee to telework. 
• The means of business control of the activity. 
• The duration of the agreement and the notice periods for returning to on-site status. 
• Instructions on data protection and information security. 

Costs of teleworking 

The The company is responsible for the provision and maintenance of all means, equipment and tools required by the worker. to carry out their activity remotely, as defined in the signed agreement. 

Time flexibility 

A worker who performs remote work can make the established hours of work flexible, respecting the mandatory availability times and regulations on working time and rest periods. 

The teleworker's working hours shall be agreed by agreement and existing limitations on working time and rest should be respected. A time record must be kept, including the start and end time of the working day and the time of the work periods. 

Like conclusion we can say that flexibility and autonomy are an important motivation for employees who take up teleworking. Having the freedom to work from anywhere when they need it, work permitting, can make a significant difference in the level of productivity of a company. 

By detaching ourselves from the place and time of work, i.e. from rigidity, the concept of “obligation” is replaced by “liability”.”, We have more freedom to adapt our work to our life and not our life to our work. 

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