Government has announced that the Right to Request Remote Work will now be integrated into the Work Life Balance Bill, no longer forming the basis of a standalone piece of legislation. Dublin Chamber has been informed directly by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment that “employers will now be required to have regard to the Code of Practice when considering requests. The Code of Practice will be established on a statutory footing and, it is expected that this Code will include guidance to employers and employees on their obligations regarding compliance.” This Code of Practice will be developed by the Workplace Relations Commission. Under the integrated Bill, remote working will be defined as a category of flexible working, with all employees entitled to request it.

The 13 enumerated grounds for refusal originally listed will be removed and replaced by an obligation on the employer to “consider both their needs and the needs of employees when considering a request”.

We would like to invite you to a roundtable discussion at which businesses can share their concerns or specific feedback on this recent legislative change.

Your feedback will help us as we continue to lobby the Government on your behalf. The roundtable discussion will be held online at 12pm on Friday 25th November.

The session will last approximately 60 minutes and we hope to have a robust exchange of views and sharing of business experiences.

Discussion will be based on your individual input and broadly framed by the following themes:

1. Does your business foresee these changes as a positive or negative development? Please explain.

2. What do you think are the critical points that must be included in the development of a Code of Practice?

3. Do you have any key asks of government to support employers in the implementation of the Work Life Balance Bill?


I do hope that you are available to take part and provide your valuable insights and perspectives.