Strict return-to-office policies could drive workers away, union says

(Left to right) Fórsa delegates Victoria Luke (School Secretary, St.Mary's School, Rochestown) and Noreen O' Callaghan (School Secretary, Watergrasshill NS) welcome  Taoiseach Micheál Martin to the union's biennial delegate conference at the INEC in Killarney on Thursday. Photo: Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD

Employers have been warned that strict return-to-office policies could result in an exodus of staff with almost half of workers saying it would force them to look for another job.

The Fórsa trade union has published major new research showing that remote and hybrid working is now a mainstream labour market experience, with 38.4% currently working remotely at least one day per week, while 61% of respondents said they would prefer hybrid or fully remote work over the next two years.