A holistic approach to remote digital work: from the inconveniences suffered by employees to a comprehensive ‘fair compensation’

Abstract

The unprecedented surge of employees working remotely in Europe during the COVID-19 crisis, shone a spotlight on some related disadvantages. Focusing on employees of the private sector, the most rele-vant of these include additional professional costs, informal overtime, and psychosocial risks. Their sig-nificant impact on employees seems to contrast with the EU model of digital transition and encourages us to look for possible remedies. In light of this, the author suggests adopting a holistic perspective. He proposes, thus, a vision of ‘fair compensation’ aimed at thoroughly neutralizing the negative impact of remote digital work on employees. Moving from a comparative analysis of the legal framework of France, Italy, and Spain – three EU medium/large economies which most used remote digital work during the pandemic – the contribution provides a definition of fair compensation, identifies some of its current highest standards and provides some insight into its possible practical implications.