A right for workers to request remote working arrangements has come into operation after the approval of a code of practice on the issue from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

Legislation on the issue was enacted last year, after which the WRC developed the Code of Practice for Employers and Employees Right to Request Flexible Working and Right to Request Remote Working, after consultation with trade-union and employer groups.

The code has now been approved by Ministers Simon Coveney (Enterprise, Trade and Employment) and Roderic O’Gorman (Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth).

The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 included provisions for the right to request remote working for all employees, and the right to request flexible working arrangements for parents and carers.

Disputes

The code provides guidance for workers who apply for remote or flexible working, and guidance for employers in responding to those requests.

The Government added that today’s (7 March) developments meant that Ireland had now fully transposed the EU Work Life Balance Directive.

Employers and employees are obliged to have regard to a code of practice when considering applications for remote working arrangements. Employers must also have regard to the code if terminating a flexible working arrangement.

Employees will be able to refer a dispute to the WRC where an employer fails to fulfil its obligations under the act, and the code will be admissible in evidence in proceedings before a court, the Labour Court, or the WRC.