Telework has shifted from a wartime exception to a staple in many workplaces. In a broad view, seven out of ten companies do not compensate employees for expenses that come with working remotely. Think about wifi subsidies, electricity bills, ergonomic chairs, or other essentials needed to perform duties from home. The pandemic that began four years ago catalyzed the first widespread experiment with telework for a portion of the workforce. Today, this way of working has endured for a significant share of that group.
Beyond the COVID period, telework in Spain tends to be practiced one or two days a week. Difficulties disconnecting after the workday have decreased, and the feedback from practitioners has improved. These are the main conclusions of a study presented by the business school Eada. The study is based on a survey of 638 professionals.
In general terms, telework reached its highest frequency during the lockdown. As health restrictions eased, the levels fell but remained higher than before the pandemic. The National Institute of Statistics began to quantify the share of workers doing remote work in the second quarter of 2020. That period marked a peak of 21.4 percent of the total workforce. Today the share has settled at 15.3 percent.
The Eada survey shows that a substantial portion of companies has chosen to preserve telework options. Two out of three firms either continue teleworking at the same level as a year ago or have increased the number of working hours. On the other hand, a third of companies are restricting or even eliminating this practice. This contrast highlights a shift back toward presencial work among some corporations. A few months ago, the consulting firm KPMG published a study in which a portion of executives expressed willingness to raise salaries if employees abandoned telework.
That salary incentive, while potentially appealing to some managers, does not appear to be the prevailing thought among most workers. After sampling the benefits of working from home for part of the week or from a secondary residence, many do not want to return to a daily commute to the central office. According to the Eada survey, six in ten respondents would change jobs if telework were suddenly removed. This preference is especially pronounced among younger workers and women. The study director and Eada professor Aline Masuda commented that the current dilemma resembles managing the right dose of a medication. The question is not whether to use telework but what proportion best supports performance and well being for professionals.
The study also notes a legal background. In October 2020, the Ministry of Labor implemented a new telework law after agreements with employers and unions. The law requires that when telework exceeds 20 percent of weekly hours, companies must sign a remote-work agreement either with the employee or with a collective body. The agreement must ensure that telework does not create additional costs for the worker. Three years into the law, many observers say its spirit remains intact, though practical practice varies widely across businesses.
Survey results show that seven out of ten respondents report receiving no compensation for working from home. Some firms keep telework limited to one day per week to stay under the 20 percent threshold and avoid triggering any obligation to compensate. In other cases, the practice has become an informal norm without an explicit written agreement. This divergence underscores a broader conversation about the cost of remote work and the standards governing it across different sectors.
Overall, the findings reveal that telework is no longer a temporary adjustment but a long-term feature of the labor market. Employers continue to experiment with the right balance between in-person presence and remote work while balancing costs and employee expectations. The conversations around telework pay and policy are likely to evolve as industries adapt to changing technology, work-life demands, and productivity goals. In this evolving landscape, organizations that clearly outline telework terms and support employees with appropriate resources are more likely to attract and retain talent while maintaining a competitive edge.
Citations: Aline Masuda, director of the study and professor at Eada, and the 2020 telework framework established by the Ministry of Labor provide context for the ongoing debates about compensation, flexibility, and organizational culture.