HR and Learning and Development organisation CIPD Ireland has welcomed the publication of the Government’s new Remote Working Strategy.
The plan recognises the challenges and benefits of remote working, which has grown exponentially from a low base last year. Evidence from CIPD Ireland members across the country points to a strong interest in retaining and developing this practice in the future through a blended working approach, and a practical framework is vital to support that.
Proposed legislation to provide workers with the right to request remote working is a positive move, however CIPD Ireland is recommending this be broadened to cover ‘flexible’ working, not simply ‘remote’. As acknowledged in the strategy, flexible working can cover how long, where and at what time employees work, not just whereabouts that work is done.
Likewise, the prospect of having the recommended 20 percent of public sector employees working remotely is an attractive concept, however CIPD again recommends this operates with a ‘blended approach’. Employers and their staff would benefit from a scenario where employees divide their time between home and the office, which would also reduce the risk of isolation and reduced collaboration.
CIPD Ireland had been tracking challenging work-life boundary issues for several years before they were exacerbated by the arrival of the pandemic for several years and is acutely aware that these need to be addressed. The planned code of practice on the right to disconnect will be welcome. It would be a mistake, however, for employers to be penalised for giving employees flexibility and ownership around hours and ways of working.
Finally, CIPD Ireland welcomes the planned review of the tax treatment of remote working in advance of the next Budget and is calling on the government to introduce incentives for employers and employees to make remote/flexible working more attractive. The current scheme, where an employer can pay up to €3.20 per day tax free to home-working employees, is little used. According to CIPD Ireland research, less than 10 percent of employers have availed of it. The required daily analysis of where the work gets done is labour intensive and may be off-putting for businesses.
