Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar has said that the pandemic has created an opportunity to make remote and blended working a more significant part of normal working life.
The Tanaiste confirmed today that the government will pass a law this year that will give employees the right to request remote working arrangements.
Mr Varadkar said a legally admissible code of practice on the right to disconnect from work would also be introduced.
Speaking on Friday at the publication of a report that detailed the publics view on new proposed legislation on the right to request remote work, he said: “Introducing a right to request remote working will set out a clear framework to facilitate remote and blended work options, in so far as possible.”
“It will ensure that when an employer declines a request, there are stated reasons for doing so and conversations with workers are taking place in a structured way.”
“We recognise that remote working won’t work for everyone or for every organisation, so the Government will take a balanced approach with the new legislation.”
The report considered 175 submissions from works, businesses and trade unions. It found that 84 per cent of people favoured a legal requirement for a workplace policy on remote work.
The report covered areas such as who should pay the costs of remote working, how much notice each side should have to give and what arrangements should be put in place to cover health and safety issues.
The report concluded that both workers and employees saw hybrid working as the future of normal work life.
Earlier this year, Mr Varadkar published Ireland's first national remote work strategy.
There is currently no legal framework to support employees in remote working however, all employees can ask their employer for the right to work remotely.
The submissions from the report will help to inform the drafting of legislation. Meanwhile, a review of international best practice is already being carried out.
Mr Varadkar said that the Dail will be making the new legislation a priority in the new term.
He said: “The intention is to introduce a mechanism for employees to request remote working that is fair to workers but does not place an undue burden on employers.
“This new legislation will be a priority in the new Dáil term.”
