Smart Working is here to stay and evolve

Smart Working after the pandemic emergency is here to stay, to become a new recognized and appreciable form of work, however, it needs the right tools, let's see the current scenario and try to understand what is needed to create a new working relationship paradigm.

Definition Smart Working

Smart Working in Italy has been confused in recent years with teleworking or working from home, however its raison d'être is totally different and it is much more innovative both from a business and social point of view.

According to the normative definition, contained in the Law n. 81/2017 "Agility work (or smart working) is a method of executing the employment relationship characterized byabsence of time or space constraints And an organization by phases, cycles and objectives, established by agreement between the employee and the employer; a modality that helps the worker to reconcile life and work times and, at the same time, favor the growth of his productivity.”

Regulatory framework, a dedicated employment contract

The current regulatory framework is defined by the legislation introduced in 2017, at the moment due to the covid emergency a simplified smart working regime has been extended in the private sector for which the absence of uploading the work agreement between the parties to the electronic portal is foreseen, making it in fact similar to a teleworking contract. But from 1 January 2022 a readjustment of the rules in force is foreseen which will define the following obligations for the parties:

• Communication of the contract agreed between the employee and the company
• Communication of the list of workers affected by the Smart Working contract

Data on the use of Smart Working

The data on Smart Working highlight the following information: only large companies benefit from the use of Smart Working in an impactful and massive way, however SMEs and the public sector, despite being much further behind in recent years, have been able to understand the advantages and critical points of this system, the Public Administration can certainly enjoy a systematic approach aimed at enhancing the advantages of its use in certain contexts, especially in the context of Public Education in support of usual teaching. SMEs, especially in some sectors, have the opportunity to redesign their internal structure in the light of the major digitalization processes that we will face in the coming years.

Italy has always been well below the European average for the adoption of this tool due to a very traditionalist conception of work and little open to innovation and experimentation.

Finally, Smart Working is a tool that allows you to contribute to the reduction of CO2 and to save the environment and in a green economy it is inevitably the preferable employment relationship.

PRE-PANDEMIA SITUATION

POST-PANDEMIA SITUATION

PERSPECTIVES AND SCENARIOS ON SMART WORKING

What smart working needs to establish itself

Formation and change of corporate culture

Workforce training is at the heart of the adoption of any innovation in organizations, therefore there will be a need for training dedicated to the innovations that are intended to be implemented in the company and to the management and organizational approach that these entail. Understanding how Agile work works, what tools it needs and what advantages it can bring to one's reality should be the focus of this training

The change of corporate culture with smart working passes from a greater responsibility of the employee, from the change to a leadership model of skills, from the organization of work with organizational rituals and specific, quantifiable and achievable objectives. There are not a few start-ups that by adopting a lean methodology have managed to start and thrive in a total regime of complete smart working.

Business Innovation

Corporate Innovation needs an action plan that includes a strategic and systematic approach, in which Agile work becomes one of the many arrows available to one's bow to achieve one's goals.

Suitable work tools

No job can achieve good results if the right tools to do it are missing, therefore in the smart worker's toolbox there cannot be without the hardware and software component necessary for the performance of one's business and a network and access system that provides a guarantee of security for both employees and the company.

A simple regulatory framework with guarantees for both parties

The hope of many is that with a more massive adoption of this work tool, the regulatory framework will be made even simpler and faster to adopt, and that there will naturally be the necessary guarantees both for employees, to avoid exploitation, and for companies to guarantee better productivity.

The advantages of Smart Working are great and the disadvantages can be corrected by putting the right tools and both physical and virtual spaces at the service of the worker, the future of this solution can be, if managed correctly, an ace in the hole for the growth and development of many organizations.

For further information:

• Ministry of Labor page dedicated to Smart Working: https://www.lavoro.gov.it/strumenti-e-servizi/smart-working/Pagine/default.aspx
• Article from Il Sole 24Ore on the Extension of the Simplified Smart Working Regime https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/smart-working-semplificato-arriva-proroga-31-dicembre-AERe7FL
• Article on the Reduction of Co2 Emissions in Italy thanks to Smart Working https://www.corrierecomunicazioni.it/green-economy/smart-working-e-covid-italia-prima-in-europa-per-riduzione-della-co2/
• Article on the Benefits of Smart Working https://www.money.it/vantaggi-smart-working-aziende