New protocols unveiled for return to the office 

Employers should develop and consult on any remote or working from home policy in conjunction with their workers and unions. Picture David Creedon

Employers should develop and consult on any remote or working from home policy in conjunction with their workers and unions.

The detail is included in revised protocols on workplace safety, published today by the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment.

On January 21, the Government lifted the public health requirement to work from home. As employers now start to put a phased return to the workplace in place, they should continue to engage and communicate with workers and their representatives, the protocol notes.

“Some workers may be anxious about the physical return to the workplace and in such instances, the employer should discuss and engage with the individual concerned and endeavor to provide supports where available.

The Government has also called on employers, in consultation with their employees, to start to develop or finalise their long-term arrangements for blended or remote working and draft legislation has been published to formalise this.

While the legal requirement to wear a face mask remains in place only for specific settings, such as on public transport or in shops, it is still "good practice to continue to use face masks/coverings particularly in a crowded area". 

While physical distancing requirements such as maintaining a two-metre physical distance and adopting pods of six have been removed, they also remain “good practice”.

Determining the ventilation of enclosed workplace settings should be considered as part of the workplace risk assessment, the protocols note. 

Priority should be given as part of a risk assessment to identify areas that are usually occupied and are poorly ventilated. 

"These are also the areas that should be prioritised for improvement to reduce the risk of aerosol transmission of the virus." 

In meetings, events or training, the continued focus on hand and respiratory etiquette and adequate ventilation are all measures that may continue.

Public health continues to advise that sector-specific measures such as the promotion of rapid self-isolation when a worker is symptomatic, appropriate use of face masks, physical distancing, hand and respiratory hygiene, ventilation, and signage be considered.

Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, said the protocol has been developed in consultation with business representative groups and unions. 

"It’s a guidance document and is designed to help, not to complicate. The emphasis on personal protective measures, including getting vaccinated and boosted, still stands, and it is still crucial that anyone with symptoms isolates and takes a test — either an antigen or PCR depending on their circumstances."

“I know employers are speaking to their staff about future working arrangements," he added. 

"We have an opportunity to make remote and hybrid working a permanent fixture of Irish working life. 

"The principle should be that once the business is done and public services are not diminished in any way, it should be facilitated.”