Home, sweet, home: More Kilkenny people to work from home as Government reveals remote working plan
More people in Kilkenny could be working from home or remotely in the near future after the Government announced plans to make remote working a permanent option.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, today published Ireland’s first National Remote Work Strategy giving people the legal right to ask for and be allowed work remotely once the Covid-19 pandemic ends.
The government strategy sets out a plan to strengthen the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees, to provide the infrastructure to work remotely while setting out clear guidance on how people can be empowered to work from outside the office.
Speaking about the proposal, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “The requirement to work from home where possible, for reasons of public health, has demonstrated how viable home, remote and blended working can be.
“Post-pandemic, I want remote working to be part of a whole new world of work and this new Government strategy sets out how we will enable it.
“We’ve seen that there can be huge benefits – more flexibility, less commuting, more time for family and friends. It’s better for the transport emissions, and for quality of life, but it has to be done right.
“This plan shows how we will bring all those parts together. I think it will make a real difference to people’s working lives,” the Tánaiste concluded.
The new legislation will allow employees the right to request remote working, and allow them to disconnect from work –phone calls, emails and switch-off time
As part of the overall plan, the government plan to invest in more remote work hubs – ensuring they are at appropriate locations, accelerate the rollout of the National Broadband Plan, review remote working for the purposes of tax, and create more remote working for the public sector.
