Eurofound 2026 telework report: remote workers twice as likely to exceed 48-hour weekly limit

Eurofound has confirmed June 2026 publication of “Working anytime and anywhere in the EU after the pandemic: The effects on quality of working time,” the sequel to the 2017 ILO-Eurofound landmark report on flexible work. Author Oscar Vargas Llave examines how flexible working in the EU is affecting working-time quality, autonomy, and well-being a decade on, and explicitly assesses the role of right-to-disconnect regulations.

Headline preview data: teleworkers are roughly twice as likely as on-site colleagues to exceed the 48-hour weekly working-time limit, and are more likely to take insufficient rest. The report is positioned to anchor the next phase of EU telework directive arguments.

Why this matters

For remote workers and the employers who manage them, this is the authoritative European data point on the autonomy paradox: flexibility means longer hours and worse rest, not better. For employers, expect this report to be cited in any future enforcement action under national right-to-disconnect rules. For individual remote workers, track your own working hours against the 48-hour weekly limit, particularly if you are salaried and not formally clocked.

Context

The 2017 ILO-Eurofound report was the foundational piece for how EU policymakers framed telework risks pre-pandemic. The 2026 update lands in the same year as the EU Telework Directive transposition deadline (December 2026) and shortly after the Pay Transparency Directive deadline (7 June 2026). It will likely be the most-cited European telework data source for the rest of the decade.

What to watch

Publication is expected within June 2026. Once published, expect immediate citations in social-partner negotiations (ETUC, BusinessEurope) and possible follow-on Commission action on right-to-disconnect.