Business Leaders Split on Right to Request Remote Working Bill

More than one-third (35%) of business leaders do not believe the Draft Scheme of the Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2022 balances the rights and requirements of both employees and employers. However, 28% of business leaders believe the Draft Scheme balances the rights and requirements of employees and employers.

Furthermore, of the aforementioned 35% who believe it doesn’t balance the rights and requirements of both employees and employers, a large majority (93%) think the Government should ‘go back to the drawing board’ with the Bill and do a fuller and more detailed consultation with the relevant parties.

These, and other advance findings, are contained in the latest quarterly Director Sentiment Monitor survey for Q1 2022 from the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Ireland, to be published later this month.

Business Leader’s Discrepancy in Remote Working

The research also finds a small discrepancy between what business leaders personally believe regarding the success or otherwise of the hybrid working model and what their organisations’ position on the matter is. So, while almost half (48%) of business leaders have a personal belief that hybrid working in itself has been a success when it comes to their organisation forming a position on it, 36% say it is too soon for their organisation to do so, with another 30% saying their organisation has it ‘under review’.

Commenting on the findings, Maura Quinn, Chief Executive, the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Ireland, said:

“While some form of hybrid working has been adopted by many organisations since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that it is too soon to tell how successful the model will be. However, the fact that almost half (48%) of business leaders note it has been a success is significant. It would seem, too, that business leaders are split on whether the Draft Scheme of the Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2022 will satisfy both employees and employers. The finding that 37% of business leaders say they ‘don’t know enough about the Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2022 indicates that we have some way to go on this issue.

“We live in uncertain and changing times, across several fronts, and it will surely take some time for some of the issues around remote and hybrid working – including the proposed legislation in this area – to be resolved. It is crucial at this stage for business leaders to ensure transparency and engagement with their staff, to ensure that whichever model is implemented benefits the needs of the employer and the employee.”

Right to Request Remote Working Bill

The key findings of the IoD’s Director Sentiment Monitor for Q1 2022 include:

Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2022: Do you think the Draft Scheme of the Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2022, as outlined, balances the rights and requirements of both employees and employers?

Yes: 28%
No: 35%
Don’t know enough about it yet: 37%
The Bill: Back to the drawing board? Those who answered ‘No’ to the above question, were then asked: ‘Do you think the Government should ‘go back to the drawing board’ with the Draft Scheme of the Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2022and do a fuller and more detailed consultation with the relevant parties?’ and they responded as follows:

Yes: 93%
No: 7%
Don’t know: 0%
Hybrid working model – too soon to judge? In respect of your primary organisation, is it too soon to form a position on the success or otherwise of the hybrid working model?

Yes: 36%
No: 26%
It’s under review: 30%
Don’t know: 1%
It is not using a hybrid model: 7%
Hybrid working model – a success? Is it your personal belief, at this moment, that the hybrid working model has been a success for your organisation?

Yes: 48%
No: 9%
Don’t know: 4%
Too soon to tell: 30%
It is not using a hybrid model: 8%
The findings in this survey have been rounded up or down to the nearest decimal point.