New rule allows staff to ask if they can work remotely

STAFF will be legally entitled to ask to work remotely under new rules introduced yesterday.

Pandemic lockdowns – which first began in March 2020 – saw millions across the country shift to working from home almost overnight. Now Employment Minister Simon Coveney and Equality Minister Roderic O’Gorman have made asking to work remotely a right.

Unions welcomed the shift and said it strengthened employees’ work-life balance after Mr Coveney brought in a Code of Practice on making and managing requests for flexible and remote work.

Mr Coveney said: ‘I am pleased to announce that the right to request remote working arrangements is now available to all employees.

‘Remote working became a new norm for many employers and employees in the wake of Covid-19 and it is clear it is here to stay. This Government committed to facilitating and supporting remote working, to reduce our time commuting and to enable families to spend more time together.’ However, a spokesman did not respond when asked how the new rules affect jobs where working from home is not feasible.

Responding to yesterday’s announcement, Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) general secretary Owen Reidy said: ‘Making it easier for people to combine their professional and personal life through greater flexibility on when and where they work is good for workers and families.

‘It is good for businesses who get to retain valuable and often highly trained staff. It is good for society and for the economy too. It will help close the gender gaps in employment, care, pay and pensions. Everyone wins.’

The new code, developed by the Workplace Relations Commission and social partners, guides employers, employees and their representatives through the request process in compliance with new law and best-practice principles.

Mr Reidy added: ‘That is why the [ICTU] Private Sector Committee was first to call on Government to bring Ireland into line with long-established employment law across EU and other English-speaking countries by putting in place a legal framework for making and managing requests to work flexibly and remotely.’