According to the definition provided in the Civil Service Act, teleworking practice involves working remotely outside the workplace. An example may be working from home or another place. Although teleworking gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic, the tendency began earlier. From 2009 to 2019, the number of people working remotely in Estonia tripled, reaching 123 300 by 2019. Half of Estonian teleworkers work remotely 25% of their work time, a fifth 50% -75% of their work time and a tenth work only from home. During COVID-19, the number of teleworkers increased significantly. By the end of 2020, more than 200 000 people worked remotely in Estonia.
The Institute of Baltic Studies aims to obtain an overview of the development of teleworking in the world. Additionally, it examines different measures that promote teleworking among employers and employees. Furthermore, the study looks at the results and impact of implementing these measures in various countries. Further to that, the effects of teleworking and measures to mitigate negative effects will be examined as well. The final goal is to find out which of the implemented measures and interventions could be applied in Estonia as well. The situation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic is taken into account.
Two main data collection methods are used to meet the objectives of the study:
The results and possible suggestions will be discussed in a validation seminar with relevant target groups in the final phase of the study, and the report will be released in December 2022.