In early 2020, very few people could have imagined the new lifestyles brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments, organizations, families, friends and communities around the world have a new paradigm when it comes to public health, workplace safety and personal interaction.

A specific area of interest is remote working. The design of an effective remote work program requires a balance of different considerations, including health and safety, tax, labor and employment law, privacy and confidentiality considerations, as well as cost.

Our employment lawyers around the world have found a number of wider issues which affect how employers manage their workforce. First, there is the cost of equipping previously office-based teams with the remote work technology, yet the cost saving of potentially reducing the real estate footprint. Second, there is the importance of maintaining the organization’s culture, despite physical distance. Third, there is a disparate impact of remote working depending on the business sector. Sometimes remote working cannot be contemplated due to the nature of the work, and employers must focus on creating a safe physical workplace. And finally, the global market for talent has become even more competitive as the importance of a person’s physical location becomes less significant.

In this edition, the employment lawyers within EY Law global network canvass the key considerations for reimaging work across 42 jurisdictions around the world. Our colleague, Anca Atanasiu, has talked about the key remote-working considerations on the Romanian labor market.

Global labor and employment law strategic topics, December 2020 Edition