The European Charter for Digital Workplace Wellbeing: Paving the Way for a New Work Reality
Championing Wellbeing in the Digital Age
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the daily commute became a distant memory, replaced by makeshift home offices at kitchen tables or even cozy nests of cushions on beds. While “Zoom fashion” brought comfort to some, the isolation and the blurring of lines between work and home life created profound challenges, exacerbating the crises of loneliness and mental health that were already on the rise.
In this digital age, remote work is far more intricate than the idyllic image of a “digital nomad” working with a laptop on a palm tree-strung hammock as seen on Instagram. However, it offers an array of advantages for both employers and employees.
Benefits of Remote Work
For employers, remote work breaks geographical barriers, granting access to a global talent pool. It enhances attractiveness to potential hires and bolsters retention rates. Furthermore, it leads to cost savings on office space and utilities.
Employees, in turn, gain precious hours by eliminating commutes, contributing to environmental benefits. They have more time for family, the freedom to choose their place of residence, and access to diverse opportunities. Remote work also plays a vital role in providing access to employment and financial inclusivity, particularly for the 1.3 billion individuals worldwide dealing with long-term mental or physical impairments.
TNW engaged in a conversation with the minds behind the “European Charter for Digital Workplace Wellbeing”: Filipa Matos, VP Special Ops at Remote, and Ben Marks, an impact entrepreneur and the executive director for the #workanywhere campaign.
Remote Work: A Path to Economic Justice
Remote work represents more than just a convenience for privileged individuals escaping the daily commute; it embodies economic justice. This belief is at the heart of the “work from anywhere” campaign. Marks emphasizes that remote work serves as access to employment, a fundamental human right.
Navigating the Challenges of Remote Work
Remote work, predominantly digital in nature, comes with its unique set of challenges. Struggling to maintain a clear boundary between work and personal life, dealing with loneliness, and facing potential career stagnation due to a lack of in-person interactions are among the difficulties that could lead to unhealthy stress and burnout.
Addressing the wellbeing of remote workers extends beyond providing digital nomad visas and stable internet connections. Unfortunately, many organizations tend to place the responsibility for wellbeing on individuals, often influenced by the pervasive bombardment of #selfcare on social media.
Matos urges us to go beyond the superficial adoption of buzzwords and take meaningful actions to support mental health and wellbeing.
The European Charter for Digital Workplace Wellbeing
Under the auspices of the Future Workforce Alliance (FWA), a network comprising policymakers, academics, and public and private stakeholders, Marks and Matos crafted the European Charter for Digital Workplace Wellbeing. This non-binding document aims to compel policymakers and corporations to acknowledge the existence of this growing demographic and take steps to better their lives.
The Charter garnered endorsement and co-signatures from 31 Members of the European Parliament earlier this summer. It seeks to establish official guidelines and best practices for companies with remote or hybrid staff. These practices are centered around four critical domains: life beyond work, social connection, privacy and trust, and digital wellness.
Life Beyond Work: Balancing the Scales
The “Life beyond work” segment builds upon the “right to disconnect” concept, which is already in practice in some individual EU member states. It ensures that digital workplaces consider specifics like the right not to engage in work-related communication beyond working hours. The segment also advocates for career equality between remote and office-based workers. Moreover, it calls for a shift in terminology from “work-life balance” to “life-work balance” across all EU legal and political documentation.
Social Connection: Fostering Community
“Social connection” focuses on providing access to coworking spaces. Ireland’s “Connected Hubs” initiative, boasting 323 coworking spaces across the country, serves as a policy role model. Companies, too, can support access to coworking spaces for their remote employees, thereby combating feelings of loneliness. Remote, for example, offers employees stipends to facilitate access to these spaces, promoting social wellbeing and professional inspiration.
Privacy and Trust: Reconsidering Surveillance
The “privacy and trust” aspect aims to restrict or ban technologies used for worker surveillance, often referred to as “digital leashes.” It calls for a paradigm shift toward trust-based hiring, where employers start with trust rather than distrust.
Digital Wellness: Balancing Tech Use
Under “digital wellness,” signatories of the Charter recognize the link between increased technology use and mental health issues. They aim to establish legal definitions of a “healthy relationship with technology in the workplace” and promote tools and practices that moderate technology usage for improved health and wellbeing.
In the words of Marks, this charter paves the way for the modernization of workforce wellbeing and lays the foundation for the next generation of workers’ rights protections concerning wellbeing and mental health.
In conclusion, while we may be responsible for our digital distractions, the European Charter for Digital Workplace Wellbeing signifies a critical step towards safeguarding the wellbeing of remote workers. As someone who has experienced remote work firsthand, it is heartening to know that initiatives are looking out for the well-being of the workforce.
Kristine Andersen is a highly-regarded health journalist with over a decade of experience in covering a wide range of health-related topics. She has a deep understanding of the latest developments in medicine and has a talent for making complex medical concepts accessible to a general audience.