Are you heading back to the office?

The pandemic has transformed life in more ways than we can count, but one of the most enduring changes will surely be the nature of work.

Since March of 2020, many people in Ireland have been forced to adjust to working from home, and many haven’t seen the inside of an office since.

Today, government ministers will meet to discuss the publishing of new draft laws purported to reflect these changes in working culture. While there will be no right to work remotely, it is believed that there will be a right to request remote working — as well as a framework for the criteria by which an employer can accept or reject such a request.

Similarly, it is expected the new laws will provide structure for how the refusal of such a request could be appealed to the Workplace Relations Commission.

While the right to work remotely appears to be off the table, some have called for the right to hybrid working. Labour Party Senator Marie Sherlock said: “We urgently need a ‘worker first’ framework that reflects the new world of work and how work has evolved over the past two years.”

“It makes sense for workers, for communities, for the environment and an innovate way of helping address the cost of living crisis.”