Comparative study on remote work regulation in public administration in Romania and France

Remote working is a topic that has gained momentum in recent years in both the private and public sectors. Even if this concept was not new in the private sector, policies to implement telework have been accelerated in all fields in the context of the epidemiological crisis caused by the SARS-COV-2 virus. The year 2020 has thus therefore brought about a paradigm shift in the global economy in terms of the way employees work, with the effects also visible in public administrations around the world. Remote working, also known as telework, has both advantages and disadvantages. While in the private sector each employer is free to develop its their own policies on telework, public administrations have had to regulate the concept in order to prevent possible negative effects and to ensure fairness, balance and unity across all their bodies. Adapting to new ways of working has been a priority in countries such as France, and the similarity of the administrative systems in the two countries creates the necessary prerequisites for a comparative study based on content analysis. The subject of telework in the public sector is also important from a human rights perspective, as the issue of differential treatment and benefits for employees in the private sector compared to the public sector has been raised, which could also lead to reluctance to take up positions in public administration.