Explained: Remote working and the right to disconnect
22 Jan 2021634 Views
As Ireland launches its remote working strategy, MEPs have voted in favour of introducing a right to disconnect.
Last week, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD, published Ireland’s first National Remote Work Strategy. It outlined a number of steps to ensure more flexible working options are available in Ireland in the long term, including a legal code of practice on the right to disconnect.
Rolling out the right to disconnect means employees would be entitled to disengage from doing work-related tasks, such as phone calls and emails, outside of normal working hours. The aim of a code would be to ensure that employers and employees are aware of their requirements and entitlements regarding ‘switching off’ at the end of the work day, and the code could be used as evidence in court proceedings.