Remote Working

Earlier this year, the Government agreed the heads of bill for the new remote working legislation (Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2021) which will, for the first time, provide a legal framework around how a request approval or refusal of a request for remote work can be made.

While has pro vided some clarity for employers, the onus is each to develop and implement a remote working policy that is aligned with their business needs. Our HR Barometer Report 6.1 found that 45% of employers intend to introduce a formal policy ahead of the introduction of the new legislation. However, four in ten (41%) Organisations will not implement a remote working policy with the vast majority of these operating in the Agri Food, Retail, Transport and Science sectors.

The research also found that nearly half (48%) of the Irish workforce is working remotely at least 1 day each week, with 19% working remotely full time.