Goodbye Rush Hour, Hello Remote Work: Join Europe's Largest Study

Across Europe, traffic jams, long commutes, and rigid office routines are giving way to new ways of working. Remote and hybrid models have become part of everyday life for millions of employees, while companies and policymakers grapple with how to make these arrangements fair, healthy, and productive. Yet despite its rapid rise, we still know too little about the wider social, economic, and spatial impacts of remote work. To close this gap, the EU-funded WinWin4WorkLife project is bringing together leading researchers to explore how remote work can truly become a "win-win" for employees, employers, and society.

Employer surveys completed, employee phase underway

The first phase of the study focused on employers and has now been successfully completed across all five case study countries-Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Slovakia. These surveys provide valuable insights into how companies are adapting remote work policies, what challenges they encounter, and how these practices influence recruitment, productivity, and workplace organisation. The focus has now shifted to employees: surveys are already underway in some countries and will be rolled out in others during autumn 2025, paving the way for the launch of the time-use diary app and in-depth interviews later this year.

Going beyond surveys

WinWin4WorkLife is not only about questionnaires. The project will soon launch:
• A time-use diary via a mobile app (October 2025): Participants will record both an office day and a remote day, while mobility data will be tracked to better understand commuting, leisure, and daily rhythms.
• In-depth interviews (starting November 2025): Employees will share their personal experiences of remote work, highlighting both the opportunities and the difficulties of managing professional and private life.
• A dedicated survey of digital nomads in Portugal: Already underway, this study explores how mobile remote workers impact local economies, housing, and communities.

Why this matters

Remote work is not one-size-fits-all. From home offices to coworking spaces and digital nomad lifestyles, each arrangement brings different opportunities and risks. By combining surveys, diaries, and interviews, WW4WL will deliver the first comprehensive European evidence base on remote work-informing policies that support healthier, more inclusive, and more sustainable futures of work.

WinWin4WorkLife in five case studies

WinWin4WorkLife is a Horizon Europe project that explores how remote work is reshaping work and life across Europe. Each national case study sheds light on a different facet of remote work:
• Luxembourg - Surveys have achieved an exceptionally high response rate, providing a strong basis for analysing cross-border commuting and satellite office dynamics.
• Germany - Large-scale surveys are being finalised and will soon inform early analyses on productivity and stress.
• Finland - The employee survey is about to be launched, with a special focus on multi-local living and second homes.
• Portugal - Data collection is expanding, with both the employee survey and a dedicated digital nomad survey underway to assess impacts on housing and urban life.
• Slovakia - Early responses are coming in, supported by the IT industry association ZAIT, which is mobilising its members to strengthen participation and generate tailored insights into skills and retention.

A call to participate

The employee survey is now open in the participating countries. Contributions from all workers-including those who never work remotely-are essential to ensure representative results. Participation is voluntary, confidential, and anonymized.

To take part in this study, visit: https://winwin4worklife.eu/participant-registration/

WinWin4Worklife project
53 Rue de Chateaudun, 75009 PARIS, FRANCE
Benoit Boivin - Communication & Dissemination leader
benoit.boivin@euroquality.fr

Diving into the future of work, WW4WL explores how remote work is reshaping our world. It's not just about comfy home offices; it's a quest to rejuvenate cities and revive countryside charm. By collaborating with visionaries and changemakers, we're crafting a blueprint for work that's as sustainable as it is satisfying-paving the way for a brighter tomorrow.

This release was published on openPR.