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When asked about specific media companies, respondents estimated that only around 1/3 of the companies implement policies on telework or home office (see below). Among countries where unions/associations reported that no company implemented specific policies, we find Estonia, Kosovo, Portugal, Serbia and Montenegro. At the other end, among countries where unions/associations reported that most media implement policies, we find Cyprus, Finland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden and Turkey.
The other chart, below, indicates that policies or agreements exist mostly in print and public service media, in other terms the sectors including the major “traditional” media outlets.
However, even in major public broadcaster such as the WDR in Germany, the union Ver.di has been trying to negotiate a specific agreement on home office for two years now, without success: “After negotiations on mobile work had already failed to produce results from 2018 to April 2020, the WDR did not fundamentally change its positions in the negotiations on 21.07.2021. The employer does not want to know where the employees work and wants to call everything mobile work. Thus, the employees [working at home] are to bear the costs for ergonomic work equipment themselves, after all, aren’t they supposed to earn enough? So the Workplace Ordinance is to apply to working days at the WDR, but not on home office days!”[1].
In Croatia, the management of public broadcaster HRT had decided that employees working from home during, except for those who cannot for technical reasons, and who are therefore deployed in shifts. But they did not guarantee all the necessary working conditions for working from home, as well as an even distribution of work and fair wage.
In Finland, most media companies have their own policy or standard agreements. The biggest companies bargain their policy/telecommuting agreements with stewards/employees. Work equipment (adjustable chair, standing desk, additional monitor) is part of work safety and health, but the Finnish law does not obligate the employer directly to acquire the necessary work equipment. The Union of Journalists recommends reaching agreements with the employer to acquire (or reimburse) the work equipment and some employers do so.
In Germany, at the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, the works council concluded an agreement on financial support for home offices for equipment and office furniture at home.
In Sweden, Dagens nyheter (DN) organises check-ups on the physical layout of the home office, such as desks and chairs, and circulates surveys about their well-being. The company also has rules about meeting attendance.
Since March 2021, it is possible for each employee to request a "telework addendum” to their working contracts, subject to the agreement from their superiors. The major commitments of this agreement are:
a voluntary basis: "the implementation of teleworking is the result of an employee's choice"
a commitment to maintain the current office space and not to introduce “flex office”: "teleworking will not have any consequences on the layout of the [newsroom] premises (...) France Télévisions does not link teleworking and reduction of the allocated offices".
The management praised a way of organising work that would constitute a new form of freedom for employees. However, throughout the negotiations, which lasted several months, the union also pointed out risks and flaws:
- After a refusal by the management of a request for teleworking by an employee, the remedies are insufficient. The unions were all worried about a possible arbitrary management of teleworking.
- The maximum number of days of teleworking (around 100 days per year) is higher than the recommendations of the union. For the SNJ, it was not necessary to exceed 2 days per week, or even less for part-time employees. In addition, the possibility of long periods, entirely in teleworking, is a risk factor for the health of employees and the cohesion of work groups.
- The amount of financial compensation (maximum € 240 per year) is too low. Even if it is capped by tax provisions, it would have been necessary to provide for additional compensation, linked to equipment purchases (ergonomic seat, etc.).
- The agreement foresees compulsory teleworking “in times of crisis”, whose definition is too vague.
- Finally, the SNJ asked that the negotiations include the search for alternative solutions to open-space newsrooms which are too noisy, stressful and tiring, and which are also a risk factor in the event of a pandemic. The management refused this specific request.
[1] Source: https://wdr.verdi.de/++file++60f820f0a294fba1b42d7700/download/WDR%20Tarifinfo%2013%20-%20mobile%20Arbeit.pdf [2] Full text in French : http://snj-francetv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021-03-18-Accord-teletravail-signe-SNJ.pdf
