Motivated by the sudden adoption of telework in the wake of the COVID‑19 pandemic, the OECD Global Forum on Productivity (GFP) undertook an online survey among managers and workers in 25 countries about their experience and expectations on telework, with a particular focus on productivity and well‑being aspects. Respondents had an overall positive assessment from teleworking both for firm performance and for well‑being, and wish to increase the share of teleworkers from pre‑crisis levels. On average, the ideal amount of telework is envisaged around 2‑3 days per week, in line with the idea that the benefits (e.g. less commuting, fewer distractions) and costs (e.g. impaired communication and knowledge flows) are balanced at an intermediate level of telework intensity. Further adaptive changes from management are also needed, such as the coordination of schedules and further investments in ICT tools and skills.

Citation: Criscuolo, C., Gal, P., Leidecker, T., Losma, F. & Nicoletti, G. (2023). The Role of Telework for Productivity During and Post COVID‑19. Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics, 539, 51–72. doi: 10.24187/ecostat.2023.539.2097