Right to Remote Work: A Step Too Far? Episode 514

Host Niall talks with former election candidate Elaine Mullay and Finacial Expert Karl Deeter  about a developing trend overseas — in the Netherlands there’s a push to introduce laws that would give people a legal right to work remotely (or at least from home), under certain conditions. They’ll explore whether Ireland should follow suit. What are the benefits? What are the pitfalls? What does Ireland currently allow, and what might new laws look like? Niall and Elaine also invite listeners to call in with their own opinions and experiences: do you favour a legal requirement, or should remote work remain at employer discretion?

What’s Happening: Netherlands vs Ireland

Netherlands:

The Netherlands has been considering amendments to its Flexible Working Act (“Wet flexibel werken”) to strengthen employees’ rights to request working from home / remote work.

Under current law, employees who have worked for an employer for a certain period (≈ 26 weeks) may make requests to adjust working location/hours etc., and employers must consider these requests. But the law does not yet give an automatic, unconditional right.
IamExpat in the Netherlands

There was a proposed bill sometimes called “Work Where You Want Act”. It would have made employers more strictly obliged to allow working from home when feasible or else justify denying requests. But that Senate rejected this Act in 2023.