What do you think of civil servant resistance to return-to-office plans?
The resistance among civil servants is not at all surprising. The pandemic proved that remote and hybrid working models can be effective, and many employees both in the public and private sectors have reorganised their lives around this flexibility. Some people have relocated, buying houses that are quite a distance from their place of work – calling them back to the office is just not feasible for them.
However, if their contract states that their place of work is the office, these employees may not have a leg to stand on and new initiatives like the Right to Request Remote work, while very welcome in the labour market, have no teeth when it comes to negotiating flexible work from an employee’s perspective.
We have seen first hand here in Employflex , an agency focusing on flexible work, a huge surge in applicants seeking flexible work who are just not happy with the new RTO mandates. Their argument is that they are just as productive ( maybe even more so ) working remotely or in a hybrid model, so are questioning why they are they being forced back into the hamster wheel of commuting and running and racing.
The civil service isn’t alone in this pushback—multinational companies in Ireland, such as Apple, Meta, and Google, have faced similar challenges. Many tech firms attempted to enforce stricter office returns last year only to meet resistance from staff who had adapted to remote work. The recent events in the US are creating worrying ripples throughout the multinational workforce in Ireland and with Musk advocating for 120 hour working weeks onsite this is a real slap in the face for employees , particularly in companies with toxic presenteeism cultures already.
Should the government be leading by example with return-to-office initiatives?
The government should be leading by example, by championing flexible work arrangements that support productivity while also addressing modern workforce needs. If the government forces a full-scale return, it risks contradicting its own policies promoting work-life balance, regional employment, and gender equality.
Unfortunately, in our experience at Employmum and Employflex, it will be women, and particularly mothers who will suffer with this RTO policy.
With one of the most expensive childcare costs in Europe, many working mothers rely on flexible working to manage school drop-offs, pickups, and childcare gaps. A rigid return-to-office mandate forces them to choose between career progression and family responsibilities.
The ’Motherhood penalty’ accounts for 80% of the Gender Pay Gap. A government serious about making inroads into this should be thinking outside the box about how to get our full educated workforce to work. With over 245,000 women stating their role as ‘Home Duties’ and a serious talent shortage in many areas, we should be looking at how we can tap into this resource, by offering flexible work, not doing the opposite!
Is asking workers to return to the office the right move?
A one size fits all approach is not going to work here – each sector needs to be evaluated, and a strategy devised that is going to work for employees and employers. There are many different types of flexibility that can be offered if fully remote is not an option, e.g. reduced hours, term time, job share, compressed hours, hybrid work etc.
Forcing employees back to the office without addressing their concerns risks disengagement, lower productivity, and, if the numbers of dissatisfied people contacting Employflex at the moment is any indication , people are going to start voting with their feet and will move to organisations that are offering them the flexibility they now expect and are demanding.
Have you asked your staff to come back to the office?
We are all about flexibility here at Employflex and all our team work remotely, when and where they want. As long as the work gets done and targets are reached, everyone is happy! Productivity is measured by results, not by how long someone is sitting in an office in front of their computer!
What are the challenges that need to be addressed (childcare, traffic/transport, decentralization)?
• Childcare: Many parents, particularly mothers, rely on flexible working to manage childcare responsibilities.
We frequently have Mothers contact us here at Employflex seeking flexible work – they are educated, experienced, skilled and dedicated employees but they cannot manage a full time job, commute and the household management that usually falls on the Mothers’ shoulders. Our survey during Snow Day last month highlighted this, with 87% of Mums staying at home to mind the kids on snow day – the caregiving responsibilities usually lie with the Mum and realistically a full time role with a commute is just not a viable option for many.
Another female brain drain is on the way if Musk-like policies become the norm.
• Traffic & Transport: Ireland’s public transport is already bursting at the seams, and traffic is getting worse every year. Forcing people back to the office without sorting out better transport options just makes things harder. Take someone commuting from Naas to Dublin—they’re stuck in traffic for an extra hour every day, arriving at work frustrated and drained before they even start. That’s hardly a recipe for productivity!!
• Decentralisation & Regional Talent: Pushing everyone back to the office could undo all the progress made in decentralising jobs beyond Dublin. Many civil servants and professionals moved outside the city during the pandemic because hybrid work made it possible. Now, if they’re forced back in, many might just quit rather than deal with the hassle, meaning we lose out on great talent in regional areas.
In summary, forcing a widespread return to the office ignores the lessons learned from the pandemic. The focus should be on maintaining flexibility where possible while addressing sector-specific needs. The future of work is hybrid #forflexsake!
#flexiblework