The recent data from the Central Statistics Office indicates that hybrid working is becoming a permanent fixture. Slightly more than a third of employees are now balancing remote work and in-office work weekly, a marked ascending trend from the pre-pandemic ratio of less than one in five. Notably, approximately 20% of employees “usually work from home,” a stark increase from the pre-pandemic ratio of 7%.
The concept of hybrid work is increasingly accepted in Ireland. Recent studies from the Stepstone Group demonstrated that over 50% of Irish workers would decline a job offer that didn’t encompass a mix of home-based and in-office work. This number exceeds the global average by nearly 25%. Ireland, accompanied by Finland, have emerged as European leaders in remote work infusion. This trend can be attributed to the relative volume of office jobs and the enduring preference for hybrid work post-pandemic.
The employee demand in various sectors, compelling employers to offer enticing conditions, has also played a role. Simultaneously, the new laws and guidelines from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) have provided an alternate pathway for workers to pursue their preferred mode of work, which has instilled some intriguing trends in the marketplace.
The Central Statistics Office provides a record every quarter on three working groups: those who predominantly work from home, those who work from home occasionally, and those who never work from home. The third category consists of a large number of individuals in industries such as retail, tourism, medical care, and others, where remote work is unattainable. Separate surveys have confirmed that the majority of hybrid work plans involve two or three office days per week.
A substantial fraction of the Irish population was able to work from home during the pandemic, with many employed across the traditional office-based industries such as legal and accountancy services. The trend was further fuelled by the rise of remote work opportunities offered by US giants like Google, LinkedIn, and Facebook and a substantial international financial services sector.
During the height of the pandemic in early 2021, data showed that 37.5 per cent of the workforce predominantly worked from home, with an additional 6.5 per cent doing so partially. As restrictions associated with Covid eased, there was a decrease in regular home working, though figures remained significantly higher than those observed before the pandemic.
Concurrently, an uptick was observed in occasional home working. Conclusive results from assorted surveys have indicated that majority of the fluctuating workforce have school or business schedules that necessitate office presence for two to three days per week. This effectively serves to justify recent trends.
Most workers who initially transitioned to remote working during the pandemic now employ a combination of both remote and office work.
2. The View from the Experts
Professionals in the field of employment law have pointed out that the inception of hybrid working and the rights of employees to request for it, currently backed by laws and guidelines from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), are proceeding towards establishing this as a constant convention within the majority of the civil service and office-based occupations in the private sector.
The new WRC guidelines bolster employees in their quest to secure these working modalities. They compel businesses to create formal methodologies, obliging them to consider and reply to requests for both remote and flexible working, which is particularly applicable to those managing caregiver roles at home, notes Jennifer Cashman, an employment associate at RDJ solicitors.
However, it must be understood that the right to request remote or flexible working doesn’t necessitate companies to assent. Whilst businesses are required to establish a formal decision-making procedure, adhere to certain deadlines, and provide reasons for rejecting requests, they retain their autonomy to say “no,” Cashman notes.
Normally, businesses who are reluctant to grant a working request may argue that their workforce needs to be physically present in their workspace for better synergies with their team or for learning requirements. If initial proposals are rejected, it’s suggested in the guidelines that alternate methods should be contemplated, like full-time remote work for employees while the firm would insist on their presence two to three days per week.
As employers demand a full-time office return, there may be a chance that other workers will feel obligated to follow suit, possibly leading to an evolving office culture.
Moreover, organisations are growing more stringent about expecting hybrid working employees to be present on specific days – times when team meetings are usually scheduled.
There has been some resistance, however, with a portion of firms, especially international establishments like banks, having senior staff return to in-office commitments following the guidelines set by their global counterparts – predominantly American entities, which are increasingly calling off remote work.
However, Cashman cautions that Ireland’s laws and regulations diverge from global standards, particularly those set by the UK, hence firms cannot merely implement international policies domestically.
In contrasts, the prevailing tendency throughout Europe is to embrace the hybrid work model. By the numbers, Ireland leads the trend, with almost double the normal proportion of home-based employees compared to the EU average, which might be attributed to factors such as economic structure and enduring lockdowns.
London companies are increasingly allowing employees to work solely from home.
Although some employers might not prefer this method – Atom’s UK digital bank CEO expressed preferring a structure where employees completely worked remotely over managing a part-time office model.
However, there is no regress to pre-pandemic practices; studies regarding the effects of remote work on output have varied results, and businesses are tasked with minimising the drawbacks in areas such as teamwork.
In the coming months, all eyes will be on how the WRC manages grievances from employees whose applications have been declined. Although these judgements are ostensibly only concerned with the company’s procedures, it’s clear that these employees are unsatisfied with the result. How the WRC handles these situations and mirrors the denial reasons will play a crucial role in the evolution of case “law” in this field.
3. An Emerging Pattern
Have the WRC guidelines, put into action as part of the 2023 Work Life Balance legislation, initiated new trends extending beyond the requirement for firms and employees to adhere to a specific process? Cashman notes a remarkable facet of the new guidelines in the form of more anecdotal reports of individuals seeking fully remote working conditions under the new rule structure.
She believes this trend is heavily linked to individuals who moved locations during the COVID-19 pandemic, who either wish to remain in their new locations or cannot afford to live in the main urban areas.
In place of enduring lengthy travels, many appear to be opting for remote working conditions, and others utilise caregiving responsibilities as the basis for similar requests. Recent data from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland indicates that a significant number of people are seeking loans outside their home country, with a quarter of national applicants fitting into this criteria. In commuter counties such as Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow, Dublin borrowers accounted for 40 per cent of new loans, a figure which increases for new properties.
Like with hybrid working requests, it is crucial for companies to adhere to the rules in their responses, and employees must also comply with the guidelines as detailed.
Although there’s no detailed data, fully remote setups are less prevalent than hybrid working arrangements. Businesses inclined towards a hybrid model might perceive complete remote working as too extreme. The WRC guidelines appear to provide them with some leeway to deny such requests, however, the WRC’s approach in dealing with grievances will be under close scrutiny.