In these EU countries, hybrid work is the most common. How is Poland doing?

In the European Union, around one in four workers carry out their professional duties in a hybrid model. This trend developed especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then became a permanent part of the work culture of many organizations. However, its popularity varies from one Member State to another and is particularly high in countries with developed economies. In fact, the hybrid work model itself can be divided into several categories, in which flexibility can relate not only to the place but also to the time of execution of the work. However, before we look at the different models of hybrid work, it is worth checking how individual EU countries rank in terms of its popularity.

EU ranking

Poland has occupied 19th place in the European Union in terms of the percentage of employees working in the hybrid model. In our country, this is how it works 16% of employees.

According to the data presented in the report European Working Conditions Survey 2024 (EWCS 2024), prepared by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), on average 24% of employed workers in the EU work in a hybrid model. Poland achieved a score of 8 percentage points lower than the EU average. The leader of the list is Sweden, where hybrid work is performed 53% of employees. Also on the podium were: The Netherlands (46%) and Luxembourg (46%). At the other end of the ranking was Romania — there in the hybrid model it only works 6% of employees.

Such large differences between countries may be due, among other things, to the structure of their economies and labour markets. As pointed out by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP), the popularity of hybrid work is influenced, among others, by the share of knowledge-intensive activities in the economy, as well as differences in regulations, traditions and standards in the various labour markets. It is important not only that, Do employers allow remote work?, but also this, what kind of jobs predominate in a particular country. Work performed at the computer, related to information processing or the provision of professional services can be moved far more easily outside the company's headquarters than work in production, logistics, trade or construction.

How does the economy of the country and the local labor market affect the possibility of remote work?

Although the popularity of hybrid work is influenced by factors such as properly regulated labour laws or an organisational culture based more on trust than direct supervision, there is another important element that helps to understand the differences between EU countries: the structure of their economies and local labour markets.

The aforementioned share of knowledge-intensive activities in the economy says a lot about this, what kind of work is done in a particular country. The sectors in which employment is concentrated can have a direct impact on the ability to work outside the company's premises. This is because the work of a person engaged in data analysis, programming or consulting looks different than that of a production, warehouse or construction worker.

What are knowledge-intensive activities?

The term “knowledge-intensive activities” can be misleading if understood simply as “thinking” occupations. In Eurostat statistics knowledge-intensive activities (KIA) refer to activities in which the participation of persons with higher education among the employed is relatively high. This indicator therefore makes it possible to determine the share of employment in sectors characterized by a high proportion of workers with higher education. This, of course, does not mean that the rest of the professions do not require specialized knowledge or high qualifications. However, key in the context of remote work is another characteristic of knowledge-intensive activities — the ability to perform duties using digital technologies, without the need for a permanent presence in a specific location.

A programmer, analyst, accountant or marketing specialist can perform a significant part of their duties using a computer and an Internet connection. A production, warehouse or construction worker, on the other hand, is much more strongly associated with a specific place of work. This is why the structure of employment can be one of the factors influencing the popularity of hybrid work. The greater the proportion of positions whose nature allows for work outside the employer's premises, the greater the potential group of employees who can use such a model.

This is also confirmed by Eurofound analyses of the geographical diversity of teleworking in Europe. From the report Regional employment change and the geography of telework in Europe It appears that the differences between EU regions were largely related to the occupational structure and, in particular, to the concentration of jobs in knowledge-intensive services that can be performed remotely. The authors also indicate that urban and capital areas, where a greater number of such jobs are concentrated, particularly benefit from this. This means that the possibility of remote work is not determined solely by the policy of a particular employer. It also matters what jobs predominate in a given country or region. A country where a large proportion of employment falls on professional, information, financial or technological services will have a greater potential for the use of remote work than an economy in which a significant proportion of employment is concentrated in sectors that require the physical presence of the worker.

However, this dependence should not be taken as a simple rule; the mere presence of professions that can be performed remotely does not mean that employers will offer employees a hybrid model. Regulations, work organisation, digital infrastructure, organisational culture and employee preferences are also affected. Eurofound points out that a fast and stable internet connection is one of the basic conditions for teleworking.

The popularity of hybrid work is therefore worth looking not only through the prism of this, Does the employer allow you to work from home, but also by the question: What kind of work is most often done in a given country?

4 models of hybrid work

Hybrid work does not always mean the same level of freedom for the employee. The Eurofound report highlights four models of hybrid work, which differ primarily in who decides on the place and time of performance of duties.

The most common is the fully flexible model. It is used by 48% of hybrid workers. In this case, the employee has a large or complete freedom both in choosing a place of work and in the organization of his time. 22% of employees operate in a controlled hybrid model - here both the place and the time of performance of work are largely determined by the employer.

17% are people working in a flexible location model. In it, the employee has medium or high freedom in choosing a place of work, but his working time is determined by the supervisor. The least popular is temporally flexible model - 13% - in this case, the employer indicates the place of performance of work, while the employee has the opportunity to independently decide on the hours at which he performs his duties.

As the data shows, flexibility of work can therefore relate to two different dimensions - place and time. The mere possibility of working outside the office does not yet mean complete freedom of work organization.

summary

Hybrid work in the EU is not a one-size-fits-all phenomenon — its popularity depends on regulation and organisational culture as well as on the structure of the economy and the type of jobs that predominate. Poland, with a score of 16%, remains below the EU average, and the example of Sweden shows how large the share of hybrid work can be in an economy where a large part of employment is made up of knowledge-intensive activities. At the same time, the mere possibility of remote work does not imply full flexibility - employers can shape the freedom of employees in different ways in terms of place and time of work.

Sources:

1. https://www.parp.gov.pl/component/content/article/91266:16-proc-polskich-pracownikow-pracuje-hybrydowo-najbardziej-doceniany-jest-model-elastyczny-w-zakresie-czasu-i-miejsca
2. https://lnkd.in/p/d5yMUy6t
3. Eurofound — Regional employment change and the geography of telework in Europe
4. Eurostat — Knowledge-intensive activities
5. Eurofound — 2024 European Working Conditions Survey