This article is an extract from Lexology Panoramic Next: Remote Working 2025. Click here for the full guide.
The shift to remote work is no longer a temporary adaptation. It is a permanent and transformative change in how work is structured, delivered and regulated worldwide. What began as a rapid response to a global health crisis has evolved into a long-term rethinking of the traditional workplace.
For employers, this evolution presents both opportunity and complexity. While flexible work arrangements offer access to global talent and greater employee satisfaction, they also raise new challenges across employment law, taxation, data privacy, workplace safety and regulatory compliance.
Globally, we’re seeing a patchwork of legal responses. Some jurisdictions have begun codifying specific rights and obligations related to remote work, including written agreements, cost reimbursements and rules around electronic monitoring. Others are relying on existing employment law frameworks and adapting them through guidance or case law.
The growing interest in cross-border remote hiring (or the 'work from anywhere' model) has also prompted closer scrutiny of permanent establishment risk, payroll obligations and immigration compliance.
In this new era, where something as fundamental to the human experience as how we earn a living is being redefined, it is essential that we create space for thoughtful legal perspective and open dialogue. Remote work is not just a workplace issue; it’s a societal one. The legal profession has a key role to play in shaping fair, flexible and practical frameworks that support both employers and workers in this transition. That includes not only navigating compliance but contributing to broader conversations about equity, access and the future of the employment relationship as we know it.
This publication brings together legal insights from across jurisdictions to provide employers, HR professionals and legal advisers with a timely snapshot of the remote work landscape. Whether managing a local hybrid team or hiring talent across borders, understanding the legal context is essential to building sustainable, people-centred remote work strategies.
