Work in Spain: The number of employees working remotely is increasing again. This trend is confirmed by growing statistics.
The Spanish economy, like many others, is facing changes in the organization of work. More and more companies offer the possibility of working remotely. This allows employees to plan their working hours flexibly and avoid moving to big cities for work.
Working remotely in Spain has its advantages. It allows you to avoid traffic jams and travel expenses to the workplace. Also, employees can choose the place to work that is most comfortable for them.
The most popular areas of remote work in Spain are IT, marketing and copywriting. This is due to the possibility of doing work remotely and the huge demand for such specialties.
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Spain: Increase in the number of workers working remotely
The rapid spread of the new variant of coronavirus has slowed the return of employees to their workplaces after the holidays. Telecom companies have offered their employees the option of working completely remotely. Bank BBVA, Santander and insurance group Mapfre are also offering employees the opportunity to work remotely for most of their working hours.
The Tax Agency has asked its employees to work from home until at least January 10. The Catalan government has announced that the teleworking format is a priority for them.
Spanish doctors, supported by unions, are recommending that companies delay the return of employees to offices.
Other European countries have already introduced mandatory teleworking. Portugal did so from December 25 to January 9, and the Netherlands extended the deadline until January 14.
In Spain, the government has yet to announce its position, but unions hope that small companies will follow the example of the big ones. However, José Varela, head of the UGT union, noted that most medium and small companies are waiting for clear instructions from the government.
Telefónica has become the first company to offer all its employees the option of working entirely from home until January 7. After this date, a decision will be made on whether to extend the teleworking regime. Until then, the company had been using a hybrid system, allowing employees to work from home two days a week and a third day if they wish. Three other leading Spanish telecom operators have also offered similar working conditions.
The shutdown that many companies resorted to at the beginning of 2020 was a huge stress for employees and the economy as a whole. However, the transition to remote work is now happening more smoothly. It is still difficult to say when companies will be able to return to normal work, as it is unclear how the situation with the disease will develop after the holidays.
In the banking sector, non-customer-facing employees can stay at home. Santander plans to test all employees who will have contact with customers for coronavirus. Insurance group Mapfre allows employees to work from home full time or in the afternoon. Energy giant Repsol has not yet taken additional measures, but is already using a hybrid model that allows employees to work from home up to three days a week.
During the pandemic, it was said that remote working would become the dominant format in the long term. However, statistics from recent months show that when the infection rate declines, many companies are choosing to return to normal working hours. The number of employees working from home for more than half the working week has fallen from 16% at the peak of the pandemic to 8% in the third quarter of the year. Experts believe that the low popularity of remote work is due to the traditional corporate culture in Spain, which values personal connections.
In the summer, the Spanish government passed a law regulating remote working conditions for employees who spend more than 30% of their working time at home. However, this law does not apply to employees who are forced to stay at home due to the pandemic. Companies are introducing remote working amid the rise in cases, but most of them prefer to return to the usual format of work in the office when the health threat decreases.
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