Remote work and telework in the European Union and in Latin America on the example of polish and chilean legislation

• Pages: 199-221
• Author: Ewa Pietrzak

REMOTE WORK AND TELEWORK IN THE EUROPEAN

UNION AND IN LATIN AMERICA ON THE EXAMPLE OF

POLISH AND CHILEAN LEGISLATION

REMOTE WORK AND TELEWORK IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND IN LATIN AMERICA...

E P

Ph. D. Assistant Professor at the SWPS

University in Warsaw, Poland.

SUMMARY: Introduction. 1. Remote work in the European Union and in Latin America

– general remarks. 2. e concept of remote work and telework in Polish and Chilean

legislation – legal denitions. 3. Manner of introducing telework and/or remote work by

the employer in Poland and in Chile. 4. Rights and obligations of an employer and an em-

ployee in relation to telework and/or remote work in Poland and in Chile. Conclusions.

Resumen en español: El desarrollo dinámico de las nuevas tecnologías ha tenido una

enorme repercusión en la aparición de nuevas formas de empleo, como el trabajo a

distancia y el teletrabajo. Como consecuencia, el proceso de prestación de trabajo ya no

está ligado a los locales del empleador. Por el contrario, los medios tecnológicos y de

telecomunicación permiten la prestación de trabajo desde cualquier lugar del mundo,

independientemente de dónde tenga su sede la entidad del empleador. Otro hito en el

desarrollo del trabajo a distancia y el teletrabajo fue la crisis provocada por la pandemia

del Covid-19. Los periodos de cierre patronal que se aplicaron en la mayoría de los

países del mundo han hecho que el trabajo a distancia y el teletrabajo sean a menudo la

única opción para que los empresarios puedan continuar con sus operaciones. Como

resultado, los países de América Latina y de la Unión Europea se han enfrentado al reto

de regular el trabajo a distancia y/o el teletrabajo o de revisar las normativas existentes al

respecto. Por ejemplo, en Chile se han introducido nuevas normativas sobre teletrabajo

y trabajo a distancia. Mientras que en Polonia, donde la regulación del teletrabajo se

introdujo ya en 2007, las disposiciones existentes han sido revisadas durante la pandemia

de Covid-19. Como resultado, se introdujo una nueva regulación del trabajo a distancia.

Una comparación de las regulaciones del teletrabajo y el trabajo a distancia en América

Latina y los países de la Unión Europea es importante para determinar la posibilidad de

proporcionar trabajo en esta forma a los empleadores extranjeros.

INTRODUCTION

Telework and remote work is undoubtedly an interesting and signicant concept

from legal, social and economic perspective. This form of work provision has

1 https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5192-511X, e-mail address: epietrzak@swps.edu.pl.

Ewa Pietrzak

200

evolved as a result of the rapid development of technology, which has made remote

communication possible. Despite the fact that regulations on telework and/or remote

work have been in force in many countries of Latin America and the European Union

for several years, this form of work provision has signicantly gained in popularity

during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic2. It was a direct result of the need for the labour

market to respond dynamically to rapidly changing situation caused by the pandemic.

Employers faced the challenge of continuing their business activity in the wake of

the lockdown. Hence, the rules on telework and/or remote work evolved and were

continuously adapted to the changing pandemic situation. It should be emphasised

that telework/remote work provides tremendous opportunities for employees from

dierent countries around the world to provide work for foreign entities. Due to use

of modern technology, the distance factor is no longer of any importance. However,

dierent legal regulations still remain a crucial obstacle to international cooperation

between employees and employers from dierent legal systems.

e aim of this article is to present the legal solutions for telework and/or remote

work in the European Union and Latin America. e author will conduct a comparison

of the law using the example of Polish and Chilean legislation. e comparison will

address the following issues: concepts of telework and/or remote work, including the

legal denitions adopted in the local legislation, the ways in which telework and/or

remote work can be introduced by an employer as well as rights and obligations of an

employer and an employee in relation to telework and/or remote work. e results of

the above analysis will form the basis for further research relating to the provision of

work by European Union citizens to employers in Latin America and vice versa.

1. REMOTE WORK IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND IN LATIN AMERICA

 GENERAL REMARKS

For a long time, telework (remote work) was not legally regulated in most European

countries. Most oen, cottage industry regulations were applied accordingly. is

was the case, for example, in Belgium, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom3. In

2 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Challenges of teleworking:

organisation of working time, work-life balance and the right to disconnect’, Official Journal of the

European Union, C 220, 9 June 2021, Vol. 64, 2021/C 220/01, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/

EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:C:2021:220:TOC; Julia L. O. Beckel, Gwenith G. Fisher. “Telework and Worker Health

and Well-Being: A Review and Recommendations for Research and Practice”. International Journal of

Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (2022): 1-32. doi: https:// doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073879;

Ruth McPhail, Xi Wen (Carys) Chan, Robyn May, Adrian Wilkinson. “Post-COVID remote working and

its impact on people, productivity, and the planet: an exploratory scoping review”. The International Journal

of Human Resource Management, 35:1 (2024): 154-182. doi: 10.1080/09585192.2023.222138.

3 Andrzej Chobot. Nowe formy zatrudnienia kierunki rozwoju i nowelizacji. 1st ed. Warsaw:

Wydawnictwa Prawnicze PWN, 1997. p. 165.