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Quantifying the energy impact of teleworking has been challenging because of the low prevalence of telework. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the associated widespread shift to telework provides a new opportunity to study the energy impact of teleworking. Within two months of the lockdowns, we surveyed 278 knowledge-based workers in Canada who started working primarily from home to investigate their energy-related behaviours and attitudes. The survey's major themes are energy-saving actions taken in the office, equipment used for telework, impacts on home energy usage, and both awareness of and response to electricity pricing. Given trends toward increased teleworking in the future, these results can inform public policy related to teleworking and energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spain is one of the countries that has been most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. As a southern European country, Spain is characterized by high levels of sociability and the vital role of the family in its social structure. The intense confinement phase raised many questions about how the Spanish family would adapt to this crisis. This study analyzes the consequences of confinement on three areas of family life: the emotional state of its members, family relationships inside and outside the home, and the impact of ICTs on families in isolation. Only statistically representative data published by Spain's main research institutes are used for this study. The results highlight the important adaptive capacity of the Spanish family, the activation of solidarity networks and the improvement in internal and external family relationships. This situation has served to accelerate the development of new technologies in the domestic sphere, with effects on the communicative relationship between its members and to open the debate on teleworking as a tool for reconciliation of work and family life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada, a national consultation has mentioned the possibility of introducing a new right whereby workers will be entitled to request flexibility in their schedule or workplace, in the model of ‘‘RTR flexible working’’ seen in Anglo-Saxon countries. Our article focuses on the impact of this right in three Commonwealth countries where it was established in the 2000s. We analyze the effectiveness of RTR as a public policy instrument to change managerial attitudes towards accommodating employees with complex family responsibilities, such as caregivers. Our review of the literature suggests that RTR has had a limited impact in workplaces, but that it has led certain employers to provide employees with greater flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]