To arrive at this estimate, European and North American researchers examined findings from two surveys of tens of thousands of workers from 27 countries. They found that the widespread use of teleworking significantly altered their trips during the health crisis, especially to and from work.

Case in point: employees saved about two hours of commuting time per week by working from home, rather than from the office.

However, the results vary from country to country. The Chinese saved the most time in their daily lives by teleworking, with an average of 102 minutes saved. This is almost twice the time saved by the Serbians (51 minutes) and the Americans (55 minutes).

The French managed to save 62 minutes by not going to work during the pandemic, while in Singapore, the average time saved was 94 minutes. Malaysians saved close to an hour and 20 minutes.

So what did employees do with this “time saving”? Many used it to get ahead of work, with some 40% of respondents doing more either for their main employer or for a side job.

A third of them took advantage of it to indulge in various hobbies or to exercise, while 11% devoted this time to their family.

There are numerous indications that companies have a lot to gain from teleworking, even if some are still reluctant to implement the practice in the long term. An ILO report called it a “win-win” for both employers and employees, while a report from Institut Montaigne estimates that 48% of jobs in France are suitable for this mode of employment.

However, there remain major differences among sectors regarding the use of telework. This is a source of frustration for many French employees, and could even be “generating a new divide between employees” in the future, in France and elsewhere.