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.