Richard O'Donoghue: Opposes Mandatory Right to Work from Home
Richard O'Donoghue spoke about proposals to legally guarantee the right to work from home, opposing legislation that would make remote work mandatory and urging a sector-by-sector approach. He supported flexible working where viable, cited GDPR and mental-health constraints, and called for better internet and broader surveys outside Dublin.
Position on mandatory remote work
Richard O'Donoghue stated he supports anyone who wants to work from home and employers who can facilitate it, but does not support legalising a mandatory right to work from home. He argued there is "no glove that fits all" and making remote work legally compulsory could create problems across different sectors.
Exceptions and sectoral differences
He highlighted that some roles cannot be done from home for GDPR and other sector-specific reasons, and that some employees prefer the workplace for mental-health or personal reasons. He also noted employers may want staff to work from home when it increases productivity, underlining divergent needs.
Support for employer accommodation and infrastructure
He encouraged employers to accommodate remote working where it is viable and beneficial to both parties, but said legislation should wait until criteria can be devised that apply across all sectors. He also stressed the need for reliable internet as a prerequisite for wider remote working.
Critique of Dublin-only survey and call for nationwide data
Referencing a late debate with Nessa Cosgrave, he criticised a Survey Ireland poll of 800 people conducted only in Dublin and urged that Labour and others should survey counties beyond Dublin. He closed by addressing Deputy Colin Deputy and pressing for broader consultation outside the capital.
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I support anyone that wants to work from home. I support any employer that can facilitate working from home. I don't support legalising that it's mandatory that an employer has to make you work from home because there's no glove that fits all. That's my problem. That means that the people here could all decide, legally I can work from home. We could have people in other sectors saying, legally I can work from home. We have GDPR reasons that people can't work from home. We have different things that people can't work from home, but we also have another side of it as well. Some people don't want to work from home. And that's their right. You have employers that have people that they want them to work from home because they're actually more productive. But in other cases we've got people with mental health issues that want to come to work. And they don't want to work at home. So we have a case where employers work with people and where it's viable for them to work from home, where it's beneficial for both parties, 100% encourage it. But legalising it, I've an issue with, unless you can work the criteria around for all sectors. And when you can put all sectors together then, you then have something you can work with. But what we need to do here is strengthen it to help employers to accommodate people that want to work from home. But you also then have to have the internet. Now, I was on the late debate last night with Nessa Cosgrave. And they said that she'd done a survey on 800 people in Dublin. Survey Ireland. It's a big place. We look at everyone. We just don't look. And that's what was said on the late debate last night, that they only surveyed Dublin. 800 people in Dublin. Labour wants to look at the whole country. It's bigger than Dublin, you know. So please come down to the county and survey us as well. We have no problem with that. Thank you Deputy, Colin Deputy.
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