Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

456. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if her Department has conducted research on the impact of moving to a four-day work week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8974/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department and I understand the importance of flexible working, which can encompass a wide variety of practices, including part-time, job sharing, remote working and compressed hours. Such solutions allow for tangible benefits for employees including improving their work/life balance. Flexible working also assists in the development of an inclusive society. By removing some of the barriers to work for people with caring responsibilities, and providing a framework for flexible retirement, increasing flexible working could improve labour market participation, particularly amongst people with caring responsibilities, older people and people with disabilities. 

While my Department has not conducted research on the impact of moving to a four-day week, there is a large volume of work underway on the topic of flexible working across Government departments. This was reflected in Pillar 4 of Future Jobs Ireland, which included a number of key deliverables with the objective of fostering participation in the labour force through flexible working solutions. 

This includes the completion of research on remote working which my Department completed in 2019. The objective of this research was to understand the prevalence and types of remote working arrangements within the Irish workforce and the attitudes towards such arrangements. The research also identified the influencing factors for both employers and employees partaking in remote working. Following its publication, my Department committed to the formation of an Interdepartmental Working Group on the production of guidance on remote work for employers. This work is now underway and is expected to be completed in 2020.

Alongside the work that my Department is leading on in relation to remote working, the Department of Justice and Equality is also leading on a number of further deliverables relevant to flexible working. This includes the development of guidance for employers on family-friendly working options, the extension of unpaid Parental Leave, and a national consultation on a variety of flexible working options which will inform the development of a national flexible working policy in 2020.