DIGITUP Project

DIGITUP Project - Digital upskilling in a telework environment

FNR COVID-19 fast-track call - 2020

What is the impact of the COVID-19 first lockdown on the use of digital tools among teleworkers? Does the use of digital tools help teleworkers to improve their digital skills? Have job satisfaction, job stress, and job productivity been affected by the use of digital tools? Which managerial practices and good practices should be spread? How do Luxembourg and cross-bordering countries adapt their legal frameworks of the telework practice?


For years, the labour market has undergone massive changes due to the digital transformation, affecting a growing number of employees. Nevertheless, the increased use of digital tools was not experienced by many employees, and some of them were afraid of changes that digital transformation could introduce. The COVID-19 lockdown changed the situation drastically by enforcing teleworking and fostering the use of digital tools. The objective of DIGITUP project was to investigate the consequences of the digitalization of work on teleworkers during the COVID-19 first lockdown. For this purpose, new survey data conducted between May and July 2020 by LISER and the University of Luxembourg and new experimental data were used.


The analyses show several results. First, the project identifies various profiles of digital tools users following the lockdown. Second, the project provides novel evidence on the impact of digital tools use profiles on the digital up-skilling of teleworkers. Thus, teleworkers who experienced new digital tools and used them intensively during the lockdown are those who have developed their digital skills the most. Third, the use of digital tools has affected the self-perceived job well-being (job satisfaction and job stress) and job productivity of teleworkers. Indeed, the use of videoconferencing is likely to enhance teleworkers’ job well-being because it permits to maintain social interactions between co-workers. Nevertheless, an intensive daily use of communication and collaborative digital tools is detrimental to job satisfaction, mainly due to work interruptions and the flow of information generated. Using communication and collaborative digital tools in a reasoned manner and when necessary is favourable to job productivity. Fourth, managerial practices such as internal supports (from colleagues and managers) and training programmes that help employees to acquire new digital skills required in their jobs need to be encouraged. Good practices in the use of digital tools, especially the management of notifications and the time slot dedicated to virtual interactions, need to be shared to ward off information overload, interruptions, and hyper-connectivity. Finally, the project provides an overview of the evolution of the legal frameworks of the telework practices both in Luxembourg and cross-bordering countries. A harmonization appears necessary in order to avoid potential frustrations between colleagues who can feel treated differently.


Articles in peer-reviewed journals

  • Digitally transformed home office impacts on job satisfaction, job stress and job productivity. COVID-19 Findings. Ludivine Martin, Laetitia Hauret, Chantal Fuhrer, PLoS ONE, 17(3): e0265131. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265131


Work in progress

  • How do digital tools use profiles of teleworkers influence their digital up-skilling during the spring 2020 lockdown? Laetitia Hauret, Ludivine Martin, Nicolas Poussing


  • Measuring and explaining willingness to up-skill: A lab experiment. Ludivine Martin, Julie Rosaz, Angela Sutan, Radu Vranceanu


Policy Briefs & National Report

  • The impact of telework induced by the spring digital skills 2020 lockdown on the use of digital tools and digital skills, Laetitia Hauret and Ludivine Martin (eds.) with the collaboration of the DIGITUP team, LISER Policy Brief 12, 2020, available in French and English

  • Usage des outils digitaux pendant le confinement et évolution du bien-être et de la productivité des télétravailleurs. Chantal Cucchi Fuhrer, Laetitia Hauret, Ludivine Martin, LISER Policy Brief 3


Articles in newspapers and magazines:

  • Le confinement sera-t-il un tremplin au développement du télétravail et à l’acquisition des compétences digitales demandées sur le marché du travail Luxembourgeois ? Ludivine Martin (LISER), Pauline Bourgeon (LISER), Franz Clément (LISER), Irina Gewinner (Uni.lu), Laetitia Hauret (LISER), David Marguerit (LISER), Uyen Nguyen (LISER), Thierry Pénard (CREM, Univ. Rennes 1) Nicolas Poussing (LISER), Fanny Robert (LISER), Julie Rosaz (GATE, Univ Lyon), Angela Sutan (BSB Burgundy School of Business), Radu Vranceanu (ESSEC Business school), Fondation IDEA, https://www.fondation-idea.lu/2020/06/02/recueil-de-contributions-exclusives-special-covid-19/

  • Confinement du printemps 2020 : l’impact du télétravail sur l’usage des outils digitaux et les compétences digitales, Laetitia Hauret, Ludivine Martin, Entreprises Magazine, janvier/février 2021



Academic conference:

  • 13th Workshop on Labour Economics organized by the Institute for Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU), 25-26 March 2021

  • IAAEU Workshop on COVID-19 and Labour Markets, 7 May 2021

  • AIM - Association Information et Management, 9-11 June 2021, 2 papers presented

  • 2nd LISER/IAB conference on digital transformation and the future of work, 20-21 September 2021, 2 papers presented

  • Beyond 4.0 conference, 30 September and 1 October, 2 papers presented



Communications to a wider audience:

  • Digital Coalition Jobs and Skills meeting – DIGITUP project - Digital upskill in a telework environment – 24th September 2020 – Presentation of the first results of DIGITUP

  • Club innovation of Luxinnovation – Comment augmenter la motivation de ses employés grâce aux nouveaux outils digitaux ? – 25th September 2020 – Overview of the results of various research projects of Ludivine Martin including DIGITUP

  • Chambre de Commerce du Luxembourg, Institut de la Grande Région, Fondation IDEA and SOLEP – Table ronde en ligne Quo Vadis Grande Région : Le télétravail dans l’espace transfrontalier - 20th January 2021 – Round table discussions covering DIGITUP results

  • HR ONE breakfast – Digital upskill in a telework environment – Presentation of the DIGITUP project’s results to the HR community of Luxembourg – 25th March 2021

  • Employee representatives from the BIL - Présentation sur l'impact du télétravail sur le bien être les salariés – 5th May 2021

Supported by: