Fine Gael Senator and 10,000 strong grassroots organisation ‘Grow Remote’ call for Government Taskforce to lead transformative change around remote work

It is time for a new Government taskforce on remote working, a Fine Gael Senator has said. Dublin West Senator, Emer Currie, is the Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson for Employment Affairs and Work / Life Balance and her call is backed by the 10,000 strong grassroots organisation ‘Grow Remote’.

Senator Currie said: “Remote working and working from home during a pandemic are not the same thing, but the opportunity has presented itself for longer-term and transformative change in how we work. That work needs to start as a priority.

“The Programme for Government commits to developing a national remote working policy which is very positive. I believe now is the time for a dedicated Government taskforce that would work across government departments and examine the barriers to and benefits of remote working.

“Now really is the time for the government and private companies to take action, not just as a reaction to Covid-19, but because hard-working but hard-pressed people need a better work / life balance.

“We don’t know what public health policy will be for office-based environments for the foreseeable future, but this is what we do know. Pre-Covid 19, more workers rated access to flexibility a higher priority than pay (EmployFlex Survey 2019). During this pandemic, parents trying to work at home with no childcare options and workers often isolated from the social interaction of the office, still saw the benefits of a remote work culture. Their employers saw increased productivity without long commutes and decreased costs.

“I have written to the Minister of Employment Affairs Damien English and the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment Leo Varadkar, about setting up a Taskforce with policy makers, employer representatives and ‘Grow Remote’ advocates of location-less working who already assist companies and communities to go remote and who have 300 local organisations nationally called chapters and 10,000 followers.

“The Taskforce could share learning, helping to identify ways to reduce barriers to a flexible work culture, including issues with current legislation, and establish best practice for a critical mass of remote workers in private, public and SME sectors.”

Senator Currie said the Taskforce would naturally be practical in its approach but also ambitious in the rollout of a new remote work ecosystem.

“We have a real opportunity here to change the way we work, and live, for good. As well as a better work / life balance and bringing more people into the workforce by offering flexibility, remote work means you can work closer to home breathing new life into local communities and economies all over Ireland. It opens the door to living where you want, rather than where you work, meaning more regional balance too.”