What do Spain, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands have in common? They were all knocked out of the World Cup running earlier than they hoped—and they’re among the more than 20 countries that have created laws regulating remote work since 2020.

As more countries grapple with who should be allowed to work remotely and how remote work should be managed, HR leaders might wonder if the US will look overseas for legislation inspiration. But workplace experts told HR Brew that isn’t likely to happen.

Rules abound. While remote work became necessary around the world in 2020, governments began to establish guidelines for who can request to work from home, what work–life boundaries need to exist, and how remote workers should be compensated for personal utilities.

For example:

• Netherlands: The Flexible Working Act gives staff at companies with more than 10 employees the right to request to work at least partially remotely. All remote workers may be reimbursed €2 a day for costs related to working from home.
• Ireland: Under the Right to Request Remote Work law, employees can negotiate telework arrangements and employers have 13 specific instances in which they can refuse a request.
• Argentina: The Remote Work Bill requires Argentinian companies with remote employees to register with the country’s labor ministry. Disabled employees and caregivers have the right to negotiate their working hours.

Gallup estimates that over 70 million US workers can do their jobs from home. The US does not currently have laws guiding remote work arrangements, and there is no legislation in progress that would change that. The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 is the closest law that the US has to remote work guidance. Signed by President Obama, it only covers federal workers and requires all agencies to have remote work guidelines and telework training for managers.

Keep reading here.—KP

When Dean Carter met Guild Education’s CEO, Rachel Romer, at her education benefit company’s summit in October, the former head of people and culture at Patagonia was asked if he knew of anyone who might be interested in being her chief people officer. After getting to know Romer and other members of the Guild team, Carter realized he did know someone for the job: himself.

On December 12, Guild announced Carter as its new chief people officer, and he sat down with us to discuss the evolution of HR and how he plans to approach his brand new job.

What made the CHRO opportunity at Guild so attractive to you?

Things that were important to me were [working at] a B Corp—after working for Patagonia as a B Corp, it’s important to me to do that again. I knew that was a high bar that was going to be difficult, but I really wanted to do that.

Second is [to] work with a company with a purpose that really aligned with my purpose and value. I don’t know how you could be more in alignment with a company [than where] the business is what I do…Elevating people in their career, it’s a big part of what I do as a head of HR…The third thing was [to] work with an inspiring, founder-led CEO and [I] found that in Rachel who is just really on fire and doing some great things to change the world.

Based on your experiences at Patagonia, what are the best ways HR leaders tie the employee experience to the company’s mission and broader social impact? Keep reading here.—AK

Everyone enjoys the occasional catnap, but at work, surrounded by coworkers? Some Twitter employees may be doing just that as they work ’round-the-clock to meet the demands of their new boss, Elon Musk.

Catch up. Sleeping on the job took on a whole new meaning last week when reports surfaced that Musk had turned some of the offices at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters into bedrooms as he pushes employees to work “hardcore” hours.

The city of San Francisco is taking the situation seriously, opening an investigation into whether the company is using its offices for their intended purpose. Musk, in turn, criticized the city on December 6, tweeting, “So, city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl. Where are your priorities @LondonBreed!?”

Perspective. Sleeping at work isn’t necessarily new. Wall Street and Silicon Valley have both infamously grappled with overwork, with employees sleeping in the office to help them maintain 16-plus hour workdays. For some, it’s a badge of honor, showcasing dedication to the job above all else. And while a CEO can legally make their employees sleep at work, Musk may be an outlier in doing so, as many of his fellow bosses are promoting work–life balance to reduce record burnout rates.

“We know from hundreds of studies that working longer hours acts as a diminishing marginal return,” employment lawyer Kate Bischoff told Fast Company. “You don’t necessarily get more out of workers just because they move into or sleep in the office.”

Your take. We asked HR Brew readers what they think of Twitter’s makeshift bedrooms. Some 72% said it’s an “outrageous” idea. That said, 20% said they like the idea so much they might steal it for their own organizations, and 8% said their workplaces already have spaces for sleeping.

No word yet on if the Twitter bedrooms are equipped with white-noise machines or Egyptian cotton sheets. Our guess is no.

This week’s poll:

How much do you expect to spend on freelancers in 2023?

Less than 2022
More than 2022
About the same as 2022

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Almost 48% of employees in the US are expecting a raise or a promotion in 2023. (Workhuman)

Quote: “When I ended up quitting, it was because I felt as though my own self-respect was worth more than money.”—Marissa Peterson, a bartender, who quit her job this year, along with many others who chose to no longer tolerate mistreatment (Vox)

Read: Gen Z may not be as tech-savvy in the workplace as some of their older colleagues assume. (WorkLife)

Learn: An early holiday bonus just arrived—Morning Brew is hosting a free workshop on December 20. Sit down with Karla Starr as she talks all things data and analytics. Register here.

Subscribe: Money with Katie is obsessed with personal finance. Her weekly newsletter takes a spicy approach to budgeting, investing, taxes, and more. Get simple, practical ways to live a rich life delivered to your inbox for free.