Fishbowl Discussion | Can Working-from-Home Help Us Slow Down?

Wednesday 21 October 2026 | 16:00–20:00 CEST | Barcelona Tech – Pier 07, Barcelona | In person

As part of Time Use Week 2026, WinWin4WorkLife, the Barcelona Time Use Initiative and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona organised an interactive discussion on remote work, time autonomy and work-life balance across Europe.

Working from home can reduce commuting and give workers greater flexibility over when and where they work. But does this flexibility help people slow down, or does it simply make room for more work, care and other responsibilities in already busy lives?

The session centred on new evidence from WinWin4WorkLife. Detailed time-use diaries provide insights into how hybrid workers organise and experience paid work, care, leisure, mobility and rest on remote working days compared with days spent at their usual workplace.

Building on this research, the fishbowl format invited participants to take a seat in the discussion and exchange directly with experts. The session explored the conditions under which working from home can support greater control over time, well-being and work-life balance, alongside the responsibilities of employers, policymakers and households.

At the heart of the event was a wider question: how can working from home contribute to a meaningful right to time in an accelerating society?

👉Find out more about the event

📷 Photo credit: LISER