Study on the impact of teleworking on labor productivity in European Union countries

This research article examines the relationship between teleworking and labour productivity, as well as average working hours as an indicator of optimization and efficiency in the structural labour dynamics of European Union countries. To test the hypotheses, the Eurostat dataset for the period 2015 to 2024 was used with the following variables: share of teleworkers, average weekly working time in main employment, and real labour productivity per hour worked. Statistical panels and multiple regression models were created for the analysis after normality was checked using Shapiro-Wilk. The results showed that the proportion of telework has no significant correlation with an increase in labour productivity but does have a significant correlation with a reduction in average weekly working hours in the countries of the European Union. The results of this study suggest that telework is a variable that primarily changes the time spent on work and thus results in increased efficiency and optimization of work, which is currently considered an important factor for work dynamics in companies. In summary, it can be said that the productivity of the countries studied does not depend structurally on teleworking or is influenced by it, but is related to other country-specific variables. Nevertheless, it is seen as a tool for the organizational transformation of the working environment.