Telework in Ireland: the country follows in Luxembourg»s footsteps
From January 2021, Ireland is gradually implementing a national strategy to help people transition to telework. The effect is mostly positive. It is not the first country in Europe to take such steps. Luxembourg ranks first in Europe in terms of the relative number of remote workers. About 41% of all residents of the country work remotely. The Grand Duchy is currently discussing a petition to make two days of telework a week a mandatory right of every worker. Other countries — Belgium, Netherlands, Germany — are also looking in that direction.
What does this telework national strategy entail?
The idea of the strategy is that telework is beneficial for everyone. Including the state. Therefore, the state creates conditions for more people to work remotely.
Now the government citizens can demand to be transferred to remote work. If possible, the company is obligated to make the transfer. The time frame for the response is being discussed.
To motivate people to choose telework, the Irish government is cutting heating and electricity bills by 30% for telecommuters.
The government even regulates itself. Back in March, it published a plan for at least 20% of Irish civil servants to switch to telework.
Remote work is greatly beneficial to the state. It helps some citizens switch from benefits to wages. Parents of small children and disabled people can get jobs easier. Remote work also develops country’s regions. Living away from the metropolis is a plus for the teleworker. Thus, real estate becomes more expensive everywhere in the country.
It is beneficial for business, since the employee gets less tired on the road and does not waste time on it. As a result, workers become more productive.
Finally, remote work is helpful for the employees themselves. They save time and energy on the road. They can work wherever they like, even in a company is located far away. And they spend an average of four times less on additional heating and electricity than they spent on commuting to and from the office.
Unfortunately, so far the demand for remote work in Ireland exceeds the supply. More than half of applicants choose only vacancies where it’s possible to work completely remotely. But out of all the offers from companies on the job market only about 20% answer that demand. It is difficult for a business to find enough money and effort for modernisation.
