New laws published from Ireland’s government will give employees the right to request remote working arrangements.
The legislation “Making Remote Work: National Remote Work Strategy” will be introduced in September of this year and aims to provide an infrastructure that better supports remote working.
Leo Varadkar, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said that as remote working becomes part of the norm, businesses need to update their policies to accommodate these policies.
“Employment rights need to be updated, we need to give guidance, and in many cases, we need to provide actual physical working space. It also requires a cultural shift in favour of facilitating it as an option,” said Varadkar. “This Plan shows how we will bring all those parts together. I think it will make a real difference to people’s working lives.”
The plan will include investments into remote working hubs to provide employees a workspace to come into, without lengthy commutes. Additionally, a code of practice will be introduced to help employees disconnect at the end of the work day.
While the plan is under proposal, the government is promoting blended and flexible working.
According to a survey by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) found that 83% of workers wanted to continue working remotely at least part of the time after the pandemic has ended.
