Legal Frameworks and Gaps in Telework: Impact on HR, Compliance, and Business Governance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64229/48cn0a07Keywords:
Telework, HR Management, Policy DevelopmentAbstract
This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolving legal frameworks surrounding telework in various jurisdictions, including the Netherlands, Hungary, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the broader Gulf region. It investigates how existing laws address the distinctive challenges posed by remote work and identifies significant gaps and inconsistencies within these legal systems. The findings reveal that many legal regulations are outdated, rigid, or insufficiently detailed to adequately cover issues such as social security, workplace safety, working hours, and the classification of workers as employees or independent contractors. These shortcomings lead to increased legal uncertainty, risks of exploitation, and protection gaps for teleworkers. The review highlights that these legal ambiguities adversely affect human resource management practices, complicating recruitment, worker evaluation, promotion, and organisational culture. Inadequate legal clarity shifts the burden toward HR to ensure fairness, accountability, and productivity in remote work arrangements, often without sufficient legal guidance. The study emphasises the urgent need for legislative reforms to establish flexible, clear, and comprehensive policies that address the realities of digital and remote work. It advocates for international harmonisation and national legal adjustments to regulate telework better, ensuring adequate protections, data privacy, safety standards, and social security coverage. Ultimately, the research underscores that effective legal reforms, coupled with adaptive HR strategies, are vital for fostering sustainable, fair, and compliant teleworking environments. These measures will mitigate legal risks, uphold workers’ rights, and support the development of resilient and equitable remote work systems amid rapidly changing labor markets.
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