Workplace wellbeing: What flexible working rights do carers and parents have?

New legislation allows carers and parents to request flexible working conditions. It's a win-win for employers and employees searching for a good work-life  balance

Pic: iStock

WORKERS in Ireland gained new rights when the Work-Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill passed in the Oireachtas on March 30. All employees can now request remote working, and parents and carers can request flexible working.

There were two main drivers for introducing this new legislation, says Dr Laura Bambrick, head of social policy and employment affairs at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU). The first is the need to comply with new EU law which gives working parents and carers the right to request flexible working.