Future Workforce Alliance, a bipartisan consortium of policymakers and sector leaders, has launched the European Charter for Digital Workplace Wellbeing.
The charter has been signed by a group of 31 members of European Parliament (MEP), including MEP Dragoș Pîslaru, chair of the European Parliament Committee on employment and social affairs, and MEP Lidia Pereira, president of Youth of the European People’s Party.
It has been introduced in order to modernise Europe’s policy approach to workplace wellbeing through focusing on solutions across life beyond work, social connection, privacy and trust, and digital wellbeing. The proposed solutions include increasing access to co-working spaces, curbing employee surveillance software, and establishing the first legal definition regarding a healthy relationship with technology in the workplace.
According to Future Workforce Alliance, the aim of the charter is to provide official guidance to employers on utilising workplace technologies to empower employees instead of overwhelming them, while also creating policies that harness the benefits of online working and mitigate the risks.
Filipa Matos, co-founder of the Future Workforce Alliance, and vice president of special operations at Remote.com, said: “At Remote, we’ve built a 1,000-person unicorn in four years without deviating from the principles outlined in this charter. Prioritising the wellbeing of employees does not have to come at the cost of growth. By participating, our aim is to show the business community that a new way is not only possible, but preferable.”
Ben Marks, co-founder of the Future Workforce Alliance, and executive director of the #WorkAnywhere Campaign, added: “Without remote work, millions of people, including many parents, carers and people with disabilities, would be unable to access employment. That’s why it’s crucial that we build on the progress of the last few years and create a future of work that actually works for everyone. By helping to solve the inevitable challenges of such a major societal transition, the charter represents a crucial step towards this vision.”