Background information

In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, a lot of employees in the service sector have started to work from home. This situation, sometimes described as the ‘new normal,’ has caused some employees to think about their long-term remote working policy. Because of the positive experiences with remote working during the COVID-19 crisis and the anticipation that remote working will be a fundamental part of working life going forwards, VodafoneZiggo has chosen to implement a long-term remote working policy which will remain in effect even after the COVID-19 crisis.

Content of measure

The new remote working policy consists of the following measures:

• Voluntary option to structurally work two to three days per week from home.
• Technology for remote working like monitors, keyboards and laptops are provided by the employer without any costs for the employee.
• Employees are provided with a tax deductible of 1,000 euros which can be spend on office furniture like office desks and chairs.
• Remote workers will be able to continue to use their public transport season tickets.
• Trainings will be organised to teach teams how to make agreements about cooperating under the new policies.
• Help line for employees who struggle to adjust to working from home psychologically.
• Training sessions for managers to learn how to manage from a distance.

Use of measure

Approximately 7,500 work at the enterprise and are expected to fall under this measure.

Contents

• Telework
• Training and employability
• Work organisation

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Employees in standard employment	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Company / Companies	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: Company level

Involvement

No social partners were known to be involved in the decision-making process of this particular policy issue. However, on the national level the social partners have been active on the topic. The Labour Foundation (Stichting van de Arbeid), a consultative body of social partners, has called on all employers and employees to work from home as much as is possible. Employer’s organisations and trade unions are also involved in negotiations about remote working policies in various sector- and company-level collective bargains.

The new policy was established in agreement with the works council. Per Dutch law works councils can agree on changes in working conditions, this includes remote working policies. Whereas working conditions are usually part of collective agreements changes in working agreement can be agreed upon without the involvement of social partners. Social partners are however involved in discussions about remote working in other sectors.

Views and reactions

While social partners were not involved in this decision they have been active on the remote working issue. Trade Union FNV has called for remote working regulations to be included in a collective agreements. Compensations for remote working have been included in a new collective agreement for civil servants. Trade unions FNV and CNV want similar compensations for all remote workers in the country, employee organisation AWVN has advised its members to be reluctant with agreeing to remote working compensations.

Sources

• 27 October 2020: VodafoneZiggo legt beleid voor meer thuiswerken vast voor lange termijn (www.vodafoneziggo.nl)