More workers in the Netherlands have started to receive compensation to cover the additional costs incurred by working from home.
Since spring 2020, many people have rearranged their daily routines, continuing in their jobs but working instead from the comfort of their own homes. Recently, a number of unions, including the Dutch Trade Union Confederation (FNV), have called for companies to compensate their employees for the costs incurred by working full-time hours from home.
This compensation would cover the cost of coffee or tea, toilet paper, and higher bills for energy, water and internet. The concept has garnered both criticism and support across the country, but it seems that more sectors are implementing compensation as a standard rule.
In September, it was announced that civil servants would receive a salary increase of 0,7 percent from July 2021, and that they would be given a one-off payment of 225 euros to cover working from home costs. Now, the FNV has announced that all call centre employees in the Netherlands will soon receive at least 25 euros a month.
Furthermore, employees of Dutch water boards (government bodies responsible for regional water management) will receive three euros for every day worked from home. They will also receive a budget of 600 euros per person to purchase an office chair, to ensure their at-home working conditions comply with the national Working Conditions Act.
Banks and insurance companies are discussing setting up a similar scheme. FNV director Gerard van Hees points out that some companies have already taken the initiative and set up their own system, for example using the money from monthly travel allowances for working-from-home allowances.