There’s no (work)place like home: HR and legal challenges of flexible and home working

With confinement measures slowly being lifted, the office environment has invariably changed. Mandatory health and safety measures such as social distancing, the wearing of face masks and the end of open work spaces all have a significant impact on the former work floor dynamics. With many workers still unable or reluctant to return to the office, working from home has become an inherent part of any work organisation. Inevitably, the resulting blurring of lines between work and private life puts flexibility and its challenges and opportunities at the heart of the future work organisation debate.

It is clear that the current legal framework is neither particularly well adapted to tackle the new ways of work nor to accommodate the legitimate needs of all parties in the employment relationship.

In this Lexology-hosted webinar, our International HR team will focus on how the COVID-19 crisis has expedited the transition to more flexible work forms and explore the challenges and opportunities which these developments present for the business community. More specifically, we will look at homeworking and flexible work. From the vantage point of the Belgian legal framework and EU law (regulations and case law), we will offer some comparative guidance across neighbouring EU jurisdictions, to then present some future trends on the new world of work.