Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has said workers are likely to be able to return to offices from September.
And now the Taoiseach has given an update on whether people will have to be vaccinated to return to their workplace.
The Government’s current rules state that people should continue to work from home if it is possible.
But Minister Ryan said mental health is an important part of the health of those workers who haven’t returned to the office yet.
Speaking to RTÉ, he said: “It won’t be everyone back on September 1, but I think we do need to start planning for that.
“It’ll be done probably on a hybrid basis, it’ll be done on a staged basis and yes I think that returning to work is also part of this gradual safe transition that we’ve been engaged in.”
Speaking to reporters on Thursday at a vaccination centre in Swords, Co Dublin, the Taoiseach said people will not have to prove that they are vaccinated in order to return to the office.
He said “we will avoid that distinction” and said the return to the office was about a "return to livelihoods.”
He said he understood why some people may be moved within their workplace, particularly in health settings if they are unvaccinated and dealing directly with patients.
He added: “I think we have to be extremely careful as a society in terms of restricting people’s access to earn a wage to get them through the week or their families’ through the week.
“I’m optimistic about the end of August in terms of where we’ll be in vaccination terms and I think that will inform hopefully a good situation in terms of workplace announcements.”
