Flexible work practices to increase post-pandemic

Recent employment law changes mean the development of a flexible working policy will be a priority for businesses this year.

The Government’s National Remote Work Strategy contains two key commitments. The first was delivered on April 1st when the Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Right to Disconnect came into effect.

The second is a legal right for employees to request remote work. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is seeking submissions from both employers and employees until May 7th with legislation on this new right expected to be in place by September.

At European level, the EU Directive on work-life balance for parents and carers was adopted in 2019. Ireland has three years to introduce legislation that provides employees with a right to make a request for flexible working arrangements. There will be no obligation on employers to grant the request provided there must be objective justification for refusing the request.

The recent extension of parent’s leave to five weeks along with the extension of parental leave entitlements to twenty-six weeks also widens the range of family-friendly options that staff can avail of.

Finally, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) reported in 2019 that nearly 20% of the workforce is now aged 55 or over. The economic forecasters predict that there could be a spike in flexible working arrangements to allow this older cohort of employees to extend their working lives.

What is flexible working?

Flexible work is a term used to describe a work pattern that does not conform to the nine-to-five workweek consisting of a set number of hours, five days per week. Flexible work arrangements include the following practices:

  • working remotely/from home
  • compressing work hours into fewer days
  • varying start and finish times (flexitime), and
  • the more traditional part-time work.

What are the benefits of introducing flexible work patterns?

Some of the key benefits associated with flexible work include increased productivity, happier employees, and improved retention rates. As the pandemic recedes and businesses begin to rebuild, it is likely that more businesses will need to offer flexible work to attract and retain talented employees.

What challenges will businesses face in implementing flexible work patterns?

Business owners and managers will be keen to know that productivity levels won’t decrease if staff move to working remotely or to a more flexible schedule. One notable feature of the pandemic is that it triggered a large-scale experiment in flexible working. This means many organisations will have already identified the measures they need to put in place to ensure that a new flexible work model can satisfy business demands.

On the other side of the coin, many employees who have been working remotely during the pandemic have reported difficulties switching off from work. The new Code of Practice on the Right to Disconnect provides clear guidance on how businesses should manage this risk.

Has COVID-19 eliminated the traditional office model?

Even before COVID-19, advancing technology and mobile communications devices have been disrupting the traditional office model. Flexible work is not feasible in many workplaces but it’s clear that a large number of employees will be seeking to continue working from home for at least part of the week post-pandemic. With employees also set to receive a right to request remote work later this year, now is the time to prepare your business for a more flexible future.

Need our help handling flexible work?

For advice on any HR issue, such as how flexible work affects your business, speak to an expert now on 01 886 0350 or request a callback here.

Book a call with a consultant

Complete the form below and a consultant will call you as soon as possible.

Book a call with a consultant

Complete the form below and a consultant will call you as soon as possible.

Latest Resources

Employer’s guide to lay-off in Ireland

lay-off in Ireland
It’s common for businesses facing a downturn in trade to let employees go on a temporary basis. As an employer, you may also need to […]

Long-term sickness absence: When to conduct an informal welfare meeting

Everyone gets sick, so short-term sickness absence is something all employers will have to deal with from time to time and tends to cause minimal […]

Notice periods: an employer’s guide

Notice periods: an employer’s guide
Notice Period: Within a business, it’s constantly necessary to re-evaluate and adjust workforce planning. Whether this is due to employees looking for different career paths […]

Olga Shevchenko

Director/Advocate, Immigration Advice Bureau

Olga Shevchenko specialises in immigration advocacy and consultancy, in particular, employment permit, visas, family reunification, citizenship, etc, for those seeking to visit, reside or invest in Ireland.

Olga provides extensive information, knowledge, and support to her clients, enabling access to positive solutions for people struggling to handle the immigration law.

Minister Neale Richmond

Minister of State, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Neale Richmond TD was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with special responsibility for Employment Affairs and Retail Business and the Department of Social Protection in January 2023.

Much of his work at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is with businesses, workers, their representative bodies and the State Agencies to ensure that the economic recovery and growth extends to all parts of the country. He works closely with the SME sector, including retail, on building resilience and on the transition to the green and digital economies.

Mark Carpenter

Director of Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, Sky

Mark Carpenter is Director of Regulatory & Corporate Affairs at Sky Ireland. In this role he has responsibility for External and Internal Communications, Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs and the company’s ‘Bigger Picture’ (CSR) programme. He also works closely with Sky Group teams on a variety of matters, in particular our partnerships with domestic broadcasters.

Prior to working at Sky, Mark worked as a Policy Officer in Houses of the Oireachtas and as a Management Consultant at Accenture. He has a BA in History from Oxford University and a PhD in Political Science from Trinity College Dublin.

Nora Cashe

Litigation and Compliance Manager, Peninsula

Nóra studied Law in Griffith College Dublin and qualified as a Barrister in 2008, practising in the area of Criminal law. She is also member of the Irish Employment Law Association.

Nora has extensive experience representing clients at Employment Tribunal hearings, Conciliation / Mediation meetings before both the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. 

Nóra is a member of the Irish Employment Law Association and engages with the WRC Adjudication Service as part of their stakeholder engagement forum.

Deiric McCann

Managing Director, Genos International Europe

Deiric McCann leads Genos International Europe – The EU division of a world-leading provider of emotional intelligence solutions. 

With over two decades experience at the highest levels of management, Deiric supports clients to develop the resilience, emotional intelligence, psychological safety and engagements of their employees.

Rhiannon Coyne

Senior HR Consultant, Graphite HRM

Rhiannon Coyne is a Senior HR Consultant at Graphite HRM and will be providing an overview of best practice on how to deal with complaints of bullying and harassment in the workplace. 

With a number of recent updates to employment laws, Rhiannon will take a closer look at employment equality and how it is interlinked to Health & Safety and what employers can learn from recent case laws.

David Begg

Chairman, Workplace Relations Commission

David Begg was appointed Chairperson of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in January 2021.

David is also a professor at Maynooth University Institute of Social Sciences. Mr Begg’s extensive history in the trade union movement included leading the ESB Officers Association and Irish Congress of Trade Unions, stepping away from the latter in 2001 to chair international aid agency Concern.

David Begg was also previously a director of the Central Bank of Ireland between 1995 and 2010.