Despite the current health crisis, the government has still managed to find a balance to allow employees to keep their jobs and to bypass technical unemployment. Make way for teleworking, a system that new technologies are making available to us again, as many workers have already adopted it for several decades. Even if certain professions are not adapted to this working method, others can resort to it and continue to develop. Take stock to find out if you are concerned.
The impact of teleworking in each sector of activity
Following the convergence towards a service company, the digital transition, but also the pandemic, teleworking has subtly slipped into the daily life of companies without them even realizing it. Quickly, remote work has become an obligation for almost a year, given the health circumstances. Admittedly, a large number of sectors see teleworking with a negative eye insofar as this system can become an obstacle to their development. Be that as it may, we can say that this organization is still profitable since it prevents managers from having to go through technical unemployment. In other words, the working from home has had a different impact on jobs, depending on the sector of activity to which they belong. If only to talk about Switzerland, it must be said that the economy has changed considerably over the last two centuries. The (primary) agricultural society which constituted more than 15 % of the country's activity in the 1960s is reduced to an activity of only 3 % of the economy today.
The secondary sector of the economy is also affected by the changes, as there is a drop of more than 50 %. As for the tertiary sector, as much to say that it is the only one for which, the growth has been obvious over the years. Indeed, the latter now represents more than 75 % of the economy in 2020. Unlike the other two sectors, several jobs have been initiated in the service sector, given that the figures show more than 460,000 companies active in the tertiary sector. .
Despite the loss of many jobs, many more have been created in the service sector and the digital economy. As a result, it also increased productivity. We then speak of a phenomenon of “creative destruction”, a term that was introduced to us by economist Joseph Schumpeter during the 20th century.
The professions concerned
Contrary to popular belief, many professions are directly or indirectly affected by teleworking in Switzerland, which should be a considerable asset for 21st century companies. It should be remembered that this method of organization consists in making the necessary tools available to employees so that they can work remotely, especially from home in the current context. Thus, the first concerned are necessarily the executives. But teleworking is also turning to:
- Any employee working in the private sector
- The non-civil servant civil servants
- The officials
In addition, jobs anchored in new technologies are necessarily involved in the work. These include, among others, the IT and telecommunications professions which generally use electronic devices (computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.) and the Internet to work.
How to set up teleworking in a company?
To know how to set up teleworking in a company, you must refer to what the Swiss teleworking law says. National recommendations include, among others, laws, obligations, case law and SECO recommendations to protect the safety and health of employees. On the other hand, there may be legislation to be followed at cantonal and municipal level this is for example the case of the city of Geneva which has its own legislation in terms of teleworking. But international standards must also be taken into account.
After having read the standards, the first step to follow to set up teleworking in a company is to define the different levers, namely:
- The conditions for teleworking in terms of location
- Employee working hours
- Employee availability
- Reimbursement of costs related to teleworking
Then come other regulations concerning cases of illness and accident and more particularly the protection of employees.
