by Sandrine Ceurstemont

由Sandrine Ceurstemont

Coronavirus response measures have accelerated the transition to telework, with the proportion of Europeans who work remotely shooting up from 5% to 40%, and this is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels, according to experts. But beyond eliminating commutes and water cooler moments, how will this reshape the way we work?

专家称，冠状病毒应对措施加快了向远程办公的过渡，欧洲远程工作的比例从5％上升至40％，而且不太可能回到大流行前的水平。 但是，除了消除通勤和冷水时刻，这将如何重塑我们的工作方式？

Remote working has exploded in 2020, with estimates suggesting that almost 40% of people employed in the EU started teleworking fulltime as a result of the pandemic. ’What appeared to be an underlying trend that was slowly happening has been accelerated over a very short period of time,’ said Xabier Goenaga, of the EU’s in-house research service, the Joint Research Centre, and co-author of a 2019 report on the changing nature of work and skills in the digital age.

远程工作在2020年激增，据估计， 由于大流行，欧盟近40％的就业人员开始全职远程工作 。 欧盟内部研究服务，联合研究中心，《 2019年报告》的合著者Xabier Goenaga表示：``似乎正在缓慢发生的潜在趋势已经在很短的时间内加速了发展。'' 关于数字时代工作和技能变化的本质 。

Prior to this year, about 5% of people in the EU worked regularly from home, a figure that had not changed much since 2009. And some sectors had more experience with teleworking than others. It is more prevalent with highly-skilled workers, where the highest rates were found among teachers, ICT professionals and managers.

在今年之前， 欧盟约有5％的人在家定期工作 ，这一数字自2009年以来并没有太大变化。有些行业的远程办公经验比其他行业更多。 高技能工人更为普遍，在教师，ICT专业人员和管理人员中发现率最高 。

There are regional disparities too. In 2019, remote working was more common in northern European countries such as Sweden, Finland and Denmark — and these countries have also seen the biggest proportion of workers begin to telework during the pandemic. It’s partly because there are more jobs in sectors conducive to remote work. However, according to Goenaga, cultural differences are at play too since many workplaces are still set up in a more traditional way in southern Europe.

也存在地区差异。 在2019年， 远程工作在瑞典，芬兰和丹麦等北欧国家更为普遍，在大流行期间，这些国家的工人也开始从事远程办公。 部分原因是在有利于远程工作的部门中有更多的工作 。 但是，据Goenaga称，文化差异也在发挥作用，因为在南欧，许多工作场所仍以更传统的方式建立。

‘They may not be organised for remote work because they don’t trust their employees to the same level as some companies in the north of Europe,’ he said. ‘I think that’s going to change substantially in the future as a result of the pandemic.’

他说，他们可能没有组织远程工作，因为他们不像欧洲北部的某些公司那样信任员工。 “我认为，由于大流行，这种情况将在未来发生重大变化。”

A switch to working from home could have advantages for employees. By doing away with daily commutes, they may gain more leisure time and a better work-life balance. And evidence suggests that in normal times, productivity isn’t affected and can even be enhanced.

转为在家工作可能对员工有利。 通过消除日常通勤，他们可以获得更多的闲暇时间和更好的工作与生活平衡。 有证据表明，在正常情况下， 生产力不会受到影响，甚至可以提高 。

However, there are risks to address as well. A recent report suggests that people may work longer hours and take fewer breaks than recommended by EU guidelines when at home, since it is harder to monitor working hours. And social isolation may be an issue too.

但是，也存在要解决的风险。 最近的一份报告表明，由于在家中很难监控工作时间，因此人们在家工作的时间可能比欧盟准则所建议的更长，休息时间更少。 社会隔离也可能是一个问题。

‘We have observed that people are feeling lonely and depressed and need social interaction to have a more balanced life,’ said Goenaga. His team is currently researching the issue to see what can be done to help.

戈纳加说：“我们已经观察到，人们感到孤独和沮丧，需要社会互动才能过上更加平衡的生活。” 他的团队目前正在研究该问题，以寻求帮助。

During the pandemic, remote working has often had to be juggled with childcare due to school closures, where these multiple roles are often taken on by women. A recent survey conducted in France found that mostly women reported that teleworking had a negative impact on their mental health. It is attributed to the extra family responsibilities they have shouldered during the pandemic.

在大流行期间，由于学校停课，经常不得不将远程工作与育儿放在一起，在这种情况下，妇女通常承担着这些多重角色。 法国最近进行的一项调查发现，大多数妇女报告说远程办公对他们的心理健康有负面影响。 这归因于大流行期间他们承担的额外家庭责任。

‘We should collectively address that and see what kind of measures we need to take so that (women) are not penalised again due to their gender,’ said Goenaga.

戈纳加说：“我们应该集体解决这一问题，并看看我们需要采取什么样的措施，以使(妇女)不再因其性别受到惩罚。”

Post-pandemic

大流行后

However, once the pandemic ends, remote working is likely to continue. Tech companies such as Google have already announced that their employees will work from home until the summer of 2021. According to George Tilesch, a global AI consultant and author of Between Brains, a book about the present and future impact of artificial intelligence (AI), small companies will soon follow suit.

但是，一旦大流行结束，远程工作可能会继续。 像Google这样的科技公司已经宣布他们的员工将在家里工作直到2021年夏天 。 根据全球AI顾问兼《脑中之间》一书的作者乔治·泰勒奇(George Tilesch)所说，小公司将很快效仿。

Teleworking is appealing to businesses since it cuts costs. A survey has shown that some employees would even be willing to take a pay cut if they can work from home. ‘I think human nature has a tendency for sticking to one thing after they realise that it works,’ said Tilesch.

远程办公可降低成本，因此对企业有吸引力。 一项调查显示， 一些雇员如果在家上班，甚至愿意减薪 。 莱奇说：“我认为人性一旦意识到一件事就会倾向于坚持一件事。”

Many companies may turn to AI to help with the transition to teleworking, particularly through real-time systems that can monitor remote employees. Surveillance technologies that keep track of what workers are doing, such as monitoring emails and who is accessing and editing files, already exist. But they could become more sophisticated and widespread.

许多公司可能会使用AI来帮助过渡到远程办公，特别是通过可以监视远程员工的实时系统。 监控技术，跟踪哪些工人正在做的，如监视电子邮件和谁在访问和编辑文件， 已经存在 。 但是它们可能变得更加复杂和广泛。

Companies will have to rethink cybersecurity too. During the pandemic, many employees were using external video conferencing platforms to communicate and some were found to be prone to hacking. ‘Organisations have to be careful in their choice of video conference facilities used by teleworkers so that they minimise the risk of hacking and loss of sensitive information,’ said Goenaga.

公司也将不得不重新考虑网络安全。 在大流行期间，许多员工正在使用外部视频会议平台进行通信，并且发现一些人容易被黑客入侵 。 Goenaga说：“组织在选择远程工作人员使用的视频会议设施时必须谨慎，以使它们被黑客入侵和丢失敏感信息的风险降到最低。”

‘I think human nature has a tendency for sticking to one thing after they realise that it works.’

“我认为人性在意识到一件事起作用后会倾向于坚持一件事。”

- — George Tilesch, a global AI consultant

--全球AI顾问George Tilesch

Digital skills

数字技能

Retraining is also an issue since many people don’t have the skills needed to work remotely. A recent EU report, for example, found that one third of the EU labour force has very limited digital skills or none at all. However, the majority of jobs in the future will require at least moderate computer skills.

再培训也是一个问题，因为许多人没有远程工作所需的技能。 例如， 欧盟最近的一份报告发现，欧盟劳动力的三分之一拥有非常有限的数字技能，或者根本没有。 但是，将来的大多数工作将至少需要中等计算机技能。

Big companies are already stepping forward to help unemployed people acquire digital skills. In June, Microsoft launched a Covid-19 recovery programme that will partner with LinkedIn to identify jobs that are in demand and the skills needed for them. They will then provide free access to relevant learning materials to anyone interested.

大公司已经在向前迈进，以帮助失业者获得数字技能。 六月， Microsoft启动了Covid-19恢复计划 ，该计划将与LinkedIn进行合作，以识别需要的工作及其所需的技能。 然后，他们将向有兴趣的任何人免费提供相关学习材料。

‘These kinds of initiatives of industry taking the first step and hopefully being joined by government is the way the future will go,’ said Tilesch.

莱奇说：“这类工业计划迈出了第一步，并有望被政府加入，这将是未来的方向。”

Goenaga thinks the EU will also start to provide training over the next 18 months as part of their coronavirus recovery efforts. ‘I think there will be many programmes targeting the reskilling of the unemployed and upskilling of the working population,’ he said.

Goenaga认为，作为其冠状病毒恢复工作的一部分，欧盟还将在未来18个月内开始提供培训。 他说：“我认为将会有许多针对失业者的技能提高和劳动人口的技能提高的计划。”

If remote working is here to stay, it could have a profound impact on the regional distribution of jobs. Currently, there are many more high-paying jobs in capital cities compared to other regions in a country. But Goenaga thinks that teleworking could result in a reversal of this trend. ‘Many people within companies may decide that they can do their jobs from a more remote location, which could be rural,’ he said.

如果远程工作在这里停留，它将对工作的区域分布产生深远的影响。 当前， 与一个国家的其他地区相比，首都城市有更多的高薪工作 。 但是Goenaga认为远程办公可能会导致这种趋势的逆转。 他说：“公司内部的许多人可能会决定，他们可以在更偏远的地方(可能是农村地区)开展工作。”

Companies may also decide to scale down their office space. Since lockdowns have eased, office capacity has been reduced by 30% to 50% in some cases. Although current restrictions have largely been put in place to follow social distancing guidelines, companies may realise that they can permanently reduce the number of employees that work in-house. According to Tilesch, offices won’t disappear altogether but will only need enough space for about 30% of their employees to be there at once.

公司还可能决定缩减办公空间。 由于锁定得以缓解，因此办公室容量在某些情况下已减少了30％至50％ 。 尽管目前为遵守社会隔离准则已在很大程度上实施了限制，但公司可能会意识到，他们可以永久减少内部工作的员工数量。 根据Tilesch的说法，办公室不会完全消失，而只需要足够的空间来容纳大约30％的员工即可。

In the long run, adapting to remote working should be an advantage if another health emergency, or comparable situation, arises. ‘Organisations that have already introduced massive teleworking are going to be prepared to introduce them again even more efficiently and effectively,’ said Goenaga.

从长远来看，如果再次出现紧急卫生情况或类似情况，适应远程工作将是一个优势。 戈纳加说：“已经引入了大规模远程办公的组织将准备好再次更加有效地进行引入。”

Xabier Goenaga and George Tilesch will be speaking at a panel to discuss the future of work at the European Research and Innovation Days conference which will take place online from 22–24 September.

Xabier Goenaga和George Tilesch将在 9月22日至24日在线 举行的 欧洲研究与创新日会议上 ， 在小组讨论中讨论工作的未来 。

也可以看看 (See also)

• Taking stock: Where next for research?

  盘点：下一步需要研究什么？

更多信息 (More info)

European Research and Innovation Days

欧洲研究与创新日

Originally published at horizon-magazine.eu.

最初发布于 horizo​​n-magazine.eu 。