People & Leadership

Is the tide turning on remote working?

Globally, there is some pushback from remote working. But what is the situation in Ireland? Has the tide turned on remote working?

People working together in the office

Social distancing, cocooning, sourdough starters, remote working…these words were part of the parlance during the pandemic. Thankfully, society has regrouped and now terms such as cocoon are more likely to refer to the coating that a caterpillar wraps itself in before emerging into a butterfly.

However, the pandemic, in spite of the pain, also brought some positives, such as the acceptance of the home office as a viable location for flexible working.

The change has been dramatic. And since March 2024, under the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, all employees have a legal right to request remote working.

However, internationally, there seems to be some pushback from employers. The major technology players such as Meta, Apple, and Amazon, as well as financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, have mandated employees to return to the office. Is the same happening here?

This article looks at what is happening in terms of remote working in Ireland and covers:

Ireland versus the rest of the world

Ireland, up to now, has been a big adopter of remote working, and also has one of the best data sets on remote working, as it was included as a question in the 2022 census. This found there were 747,961 people working from home for at least 1 day a week, representing 32% of workers.

This was backed up by a survey from the Western Development Commission of workers during 9 days in September 2023 and found that 59% of respondents were working hybrid (sometimes remotely, sometimes onsite) and 38% were working fully remotely.

Remote working seems to be particularly important to Irish workers. A new report released by The Stepstone Group, the parent company of IrishJobs, and in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group, reveals that hybrid working is a key deal breaker for Irish jobseekers.

Nearly half of Irish jobseekers (47%) would refuse a job offer if there were no hybrid or fully remote working options offered, compared to a global average of 29%.

A company that continues to embrace remote working since the pandemic is MyWallSt, an online stock market and investment platform.

“When the pandemic hit, we immediately shifted to working from home. Over time, we were even able to support employees relocating to their home countries, such as France and Spain. We found that this approach worked well for us, so we’ve continued to offer remote work as a long-term option. It’s a structure that aligns with both our team’s needs and how we operate.”

Co-Founder and CEO, John Tyrell

He also feels that Ireland’s employment landscape is different to countries such as the US and this is a factor. “Ireland has a smaller talent pool compared to the US, so offering flexibility is crucial for attracting top talent.”

An organisation that is invested in supporting remote working is Grow Remote. Actually set up before the pandemic in 2018, it is a not-for-profit social enterprise that looks to unlock the benefits of remote working socially, economically, and environmentally.

It provides fully-funded training courses in collaboration with the IDA and Laois-Offaly Education and Training Board for employers on how to manage remote working.

Its general manager, John Evoy, believes that Ireland has been good at attracting quality remote jobs. These are jobs that come with annual leave and other benefits such as health insurance and pensions, rather than jobs for the self-employed or digital nomads. Examples of companies that offer 100% remote work like this are GitLab and Automattic.

“Ireland is the best at this piece and is putting energy into trying to land remote jobs for local people, as opposed to attracting people to come and live here that have already got the remote jobs,” says John. And as he points out, this is critical with the current housing crisis, where even having people move from Dublin to a rural area, could put further pressure on local housing.

Factors that influence remote working

As Evoy sees it, certain factors can determine whether a company offers remote working or not. For instance, if a company owns their own building, rather than just leasing or renting it, then the company is much more likely to want staff to come to the office.

Also, size matters. “Say for example, you’re a small start-up, you’re in the tech world, you want to grow fast, you want to access talent, then maybe being remote is the right thing for you. But if you’re a well-established company, let’s say in finance or legal, and you own your own building, and your staff live relatively close to the office, maybe staying in the office is the right thing for you.”

Something that Evoy notices is when employers are directly looking to hire remote employees, they often prefer to hire people from outside Dublin, because such employees intend to stay in the jobs longer, and that is probably to do with having less choice.

Is the tide turning?

Jane Downes runs a recruitment company, Finance Talent, for the finance sector and she is noticing a change.

“We see a shift towards workers returning to the office, but the approach varies widely by company and industry. Most organisations are maintaining hybrid models, but with a requirement for a greater number of office-based days. Factors influencing these decisions include company culture, operational needs, and industry sector.”

Jane Downes, Finance Talent

She also sees a regional divide: “requiring employees to be onsite full-time, especially outside of the bigger cities, presents a much greater recruitment challenge. Even so, we are seeing it more and more, especially in small to medium-sized enterprises, with companies citing better collaboration potential as the main reason for wanting their employees back working together onsite.”

Managing director of recruitment company, Hays, Maureen Lynch, agrees. “Although there is a push for return-to-office mandates, many employers in Ireland continue to support hybrid working arrangements.”

And with the economy at full employment, this flexibility not only boosts employee well-being and productivity, but also helps attract and retain top talent.

“However, employers should be aware of the long-term impacts of combining office and home working. It’s crucial to provide ample opportunities for staff to connect, regardless of their hybrid schedule, and to promote frequent check-ins and open communication at all levels to prevent feelings of isolation.”

The road ahead

What is the road ahead? Evoy believes there is still some working out to do over the coming years. On the one hand, the path forward is simple for both fully remote employees and fully onsite employees.

However, it is the employees in the middle, that are perhaps looking for a hybrid approach, this is the space which needs further ironing out.

“Is it two days in the office, or is it three? Does the company mandate people to come in or hope that they come in? That’s all a moveable feast and a big challenge for employers. If it’s not going well, companies will have the worst of both worlds, instead of the best of both worlds. That’s the current challenge,” adds Evoy.

Final thoughts

There seems to be some pushback from Irish employers in terms of remote working since the pandemic.

However, a significant number of employees continue to work remotely, at least some of the time. Also, the recently introduced legislation on remote working is providing a framework for discussion.

If an employer refuses a request from an employee, the legislation requires that the employer states why. This compels both parties to increasingly look at remote working from an objective angle and to find a mutually beneficial solution. This will be an ongoing conversation, as needs change, and technologies and market demands evolve.