Can I demand to work remotely?
Not as a general right: remote work is voluntary and agreed. Law 10/2021 on remote work states that teleworking is voluntary for both sides: the company can't impose it on you, nor can you demand it unilaterally. When agreed (regular, at least 30% of the working day over 3 months), it must be set out in a written remote-work agreement with its minimum content. The company must pay or compensate the costs (equipment, connection…) per the collective agreement, guarantee the same rights as on-site and respect digital disconnection. There are indirect routes: you can request remote work as a work-life balance measure (adapting your schedule for care), which the company must negotiate in good faith.
📋 The rules
- Remote work is voluntary: not imposed or demanded without agreement
- Regular (≥30% over 3 months): written agreement required
- The company pays or compensates the costs
- Same rights as on-site; digital disconnection
- Work-life balance route: request schedule adaptation for care
🔓 Exceptions
- Care of children or relatives: right to request the adaptation (including remote work)
- The remote-work agreement is reversible as agreed
- The collective agreement can improve cost and condition rules
⚠️ Penalties & fines
If there's remote work without a written agreement, without cost compensation or with worse conditions than on-site, the company breaches the law and faces sanctions from the Labour Inspectorate, plus the worker's claim. Imposing remote work (or withdrawing it) unilaterally can be a challengeable substantial modification. To request it on work-life balance grounds, file the request in writing: the company must negotiate and, if it refuses, justify it; an unjustified refusal is challengeable in court.
📎 Official sources
- BOE · Law 10/2021 on remote work →
- Ministry of Labour · Remote work →
- Administración · Work-life balance →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I force my company to let me work remotely?
Not directly: remote work is voluntary and requires agreement. But you can request it as a work-life balance measure (schedule adaptation for caring for children or relatives), and the company must negotiate in good faith and justify its answer.
Can the company force me to work remotely?
No. Just as you can't demand it, the company can't impose it unilaterally either. Moving to remote work (or back on-site) must be agreed; doing it unilaterally can be a challengeable substantial change of conditions.
Who pays the costs of remote work?
The company. The law requires it to provide the means and to compensate or pay the costs of remote work (equipment, connection, etc.), as set by the agreement. They can't fall on the worker.
Do I need to sign something to work remotely?
Yes, when remote work is regular (at least 30% of the working day over three months). A written remote-work agreement must be signed, with minimum content: costs, schedule, means, reversibility, etc.
Do I have the right to disconnect outside my hours?
Yes. The rules recognise the right to digital disconnection: the company must respect your rest time and not require you to be available outside your working hours. Remote work can't become permanent availability.
🔎 Common searches
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