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The Government recently launched a national remote working strategy, ‘’. The focus is to ensure that remote working becomes an ongoing feature in the workplace.

Challenges

It is important to differentiate between the experience of home working during the pandemic and remote working in ‘normal times’. The sudden introduction of mass emergency home working often resulted in less-than-ideal working conditions for both employers and employees. Significant challenges included a lack of adequate remote working infrastructure and unsuitable home-working environments.

Research has highlighted different effects of remote work on employees and employers. For some employees, remote working can be linked to negative effects on mental health, with feelings of isolation and stress. Employees may also experience difficulty switching off and keeping regular working hours.

Employers also face challenges. Feedback has highlighted that remote working does not easily support creativity, group dynamics, shared ownership, or collegiality. Research has also found that remote working can lead to an ‘innovation deficit’, due to difficulties in collaborating with colleagues. On a broader scale, remote work could also have a negative impact: with remote work becoming increasingly popular, there could be challenges in attracting and retaining talent within Ireland.

Despite this, interest in remote working in the long term remains strong among employees.

Benefits

The effects of increased remote work can be substantial, with the potential to fundamentally change the nature of where, how, when, and why people work. There are multiple benefits that can be derived from remote work, which can help achieve improved work environments. These include increasing participation in the labour market, attracting and retaining talent, enabling balanced regional development, alleviating accommodation pressures, improving work/life balance, improving child and family wellbeing, and reducing the amount of time spent commuting (with associated environmental benefits).

Remote, flexible or hybrid?

‘Remote working’ is defined as working from home – that is, ‘teleworking’ or mobile working that allows employees to work outside the employer’s workspace from anywhere.

‘Hybrid working’ is where the employee will spend part of their working week in a location remote from the workplace, such as at home or a remote hub.

‘Flexible working’ is a set of working arrangements that entail changes to the normal length of the working day/week or location. Flexitime and job sharing are examples.

Ireland has an obligation under the 2019 to implement the right to request flexible working by August 2022. This means that employers will need to prepare for flexible working requests from employees. Firms can do this by assessing what is suitable for their organisation and having a policy in place to inform employees about flexible working options.

Remote working strategy

Remote working is part of the future of work, so now is the time to consider what type of blended work model might suit the culture and purpose of your firm. Consider the following:

• What effect will remote working have on employees’ productivity and wellbeing?
• How might your clients be affected?
• What might be the effect on innovation, creativity, trouble-shooting, and collaboration in the firm?
• How will it affect your firm’s ability to keep or attract talent?
• How will it affect costs and profitability?

A has been developed by Government, and the following should be considered in any remote working strategy:

• Working time and rest breaks: remote employees are still governed by the . Employers should be clear on normal working time, be mindful of overwork, and ensure employees are taking appropriate breaks.
• Right to disconnect: a (Workplace Relations Commission, April 2021) outlines best practice for establishing a disconnect outside normal working hours. An effective remote working policy will cover how this is managed.
• Pay and benefits: these are not altered by remote working, and employers need to be clear what contribution they will make (if any) to household expenses such as broadband, heat and light.
• Employment equality: employers should ensure that the Employment Equality Acts are observed, regardless of where the employee is working. Employees working remotely must have equal access to career development, training, and other promotion opportunities to those working on-site.
• Health and safety: under the employers have a responsibility to provide a safe place of work, and this extends to any remote working environments. An employee’s workplace is anywhere their work is performed, and includes their home, remote hub, or office. The Health and Safety Authority provides good guidance on . ‘’ is a free online tool to help you complete an assessment process. Remind employees about wellbeing schemes, such as the Law Society Wellbeing Hub.
• Data protection: Inform employees about best practice for managing data and confidentiality. Any potential data breaches should be reported to the employer as soon as possible. The Data Protection Commission has produced on the protection of data under remote working.

Remote working culture

When communicating remotely with people, nonverbal communication is more important than just words – it is also tone, presence, voice, accent, mood, and body language. Observe and listen to employees. Mix communication mediums and agree muting and camera protocols with team members. Make an effort to create and provide shared company news and context to team members. Allow time at the start of each call for non-work-related chat, and provide regular ‘check-ins’ – have one-to-ones if possible, and team check-ins weekly or biweekly. Use smaller groups and one-to-ones to connect with each other on a regular basis. New employees need more frequent contact and support daily.

Employers have to be clear on employees’ obligations and what they need to achieve. Set clear expectations on individual availability during the day and establish core working hours. Certain times should be allocated for focused non-contactable hours. Consider having shared calendars between team members. Even though working remotely can be flexible, an employer will need to record hours worked. Assess how you intend to do this. Remote working is a two-way trust relationship, and employees have a responsibility to play an active role in its success.

When conducting remote performance conversations, consider the timing of the discussion and when is best to have it. Ensure that manager and employee are in a quiet place away from distractions. Cameras should be on at all times, as this helps in reading and responding to body language. Continue to follow policies and processes as outlined in your company handbook or contract.

Next steps – ‘DARTS’

• Develop a flexible working strategy, communicate it to staff, trial it, and make changes where needed,
• Adjust current policies to incorporate flexible working,
• Review and monitor the strategy regularly, and review associated costs,
• Train managers in communication, performance management, and feedback, and
• Survey employee engagement levels.

In many cases, a blended approach of office-based and remote work may be the best approach. It is important, regardless of location, for employees to feel connected and motivated. Finding the right approach for your firm is an ongoing process that will need regular review and consultation with staff.

For further information, see Enterprise Ireland’s (July 2021).