As we have all experienced, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, forcing companies in all sectors to adapt quickly to remote working. Online collaboration tools and video conferencing platforms have become essential for maintaining productivity and communication.

We found that remote working offers greater flexibility, allowing for a better work-life balance and a reduction in transport, food and clothing costs, increasing disposable income. On the company side, it makes it possible to reduce operating costs, such as rent and space maintenance, and transport costs. Talent can be hired from anywhere in the world, broadening the company's reach. pool of qualified candidates, creating more inclusive economies.

However, remote working also presents challenges. Even in situations where people are working in the same place, it is now common for them to communicate by digital means: a video call instead of a face-to-face meeting, a text message instead of a phone call. The lack of face-to-face interaction can lead to isolation and affect mental health. Protecting sensitive data becomes more complex with teams working in different locations. Maintaining effective communication and managing teams remotely requires new skills and approaches that are yet another challenge for today's difficult schedules.

Despite the challenges, the combination of remote and face-to-face work (hybrid model) is now the norm in functions and organisations where it is possible to work remotely, hopefully offering the best of both worlds, now with the help of automation and artificial intelligence. On the one hand, there are many and increasingly better tools for remote communication and collaboration; on the other hand, by replacing some activities, they increase efficiency and free up time for new forms of collaboration with interaction, more moments of brainstorming, It's about feedback, development, career management and team well-being.

When selecting the best working model to implement, organisations consider the productivity factor, which is talked about so much in Portugal for the worst reasons. Digitalisation and remote working can play a significant role in increasing productivity. Saving time spent travelling, which often leads to delays, can not only allow for more productive working time, but above all more restful time, as it allows you to start the day without the hassle of traffic and transport.

Digitalisation and remote working are certainly redefining the future of work. Companies that embrace these changes and invest in innovative technologies and management practices will be better placed to attract and retain talent and remain competitive in the global market.

In terms of challenges, there is an urgent need to create new productivity metrics that favour results and deliveries rather than face-to-face time, with a greater focus on concrete results. There are also regulatory challenges.

In fact, although the teleworking regime already existed in our legal system before the pandemic, it highlighted the insufficiency and inadequacy of the regime in force until then. Despite the changes that have resulted in a system that is more appropriate to the new context of teleworking, the legal complexity of this reality continues to give rise to various doubts on the part of employers.

Among these doubts, we highlight those related to the calculation and processing of the compensation owed to workers to cover the additional expenses resulting from teleworking; those related to how to control workers' productivity without interfering with their right to privacy; and those inherent in guaranteeing workers' right to disconnect, in a system that blurs the boundary between working and non-working time.

Finally, with regard to situations in which remote working from other jurisdictions is permitted, we note the need to consider tax issues and social security contributions.
 
Susana Almeida Lopes, CEO, SHL Portugal
Marta Presas, Knowledge Lawyer, VdA

Published in Human Magazine on 27/2/2025