While the shift to remote work initially happened overnight, the return to the office has been more gradual. Large companies are now pushing for a full-scale return, often against employees’ preferences. Employers argue that in-person work fosters collaboration, productivity, and innovation, whereas workers cite greater autonomy and improved work-life balance as key benefits of remote work.
The data also reveal a shift in gender patterns. For the first time, more women than men now work entirely from the office, while men have slightly greater access to remote work options.
Teleworking rates vary widely across Europe. Remote work is least common in Cyprus and Greece, while the Netherlands and Ireland have the highest rates. Despite Ireland’s strong telework culture, an estimated 350,000 jobs that could be done remotely are still being carried out in the workplace.
While the transition back to office work is not universal, the trend suggests that Europe's teleworking experiment may be entering a new phase.
