Currently, companies have the right to refuse employees to work remotely without reason. Now the employees can decide for themselves instead.
It is the green party GroenLink and the pro-EU party D66 that pushed through the legislation, which was voted through in parliament in July. Now all that remains is for it to be approved by the Senate, which is considered to be just a formality.
– During the corona period, we saw that hybrid work has advantages for a great many employees. It gives them the opportunity to find a better balance between work and leisure and reduce travel times, Senna Maatoug, from GroenLink, told the Daily Mail when the law was passed.
Risk of reduced flexibility
But there are opponents. The Netherlands’ largest employers’ organization AWVN believes that the law is not needed as most companies already have a generous policy for remote work. On average, the Dutch work 6.5 hours a week remotely.
– If an employee wants to work at home, the employer must prove that it is not a good idea. This changes the balance between employee and employer and it becomes more difficult for the employer to create a flexible process, says Jannes Van de Velde, press manager at AWVN, to SVT.
Global attitude change
The Dutch are the first to legislate remote work as a right, but changes are underway in other countries as well.
Since the pandemic, more and more people want the option of hybrid work and according to a survey by WFH Research, almost 20 percent of the Dutch say that they will look for other jobs if they are not given the opportunity to work from home.
In Sweden, the figure is just over 16 percent.
The trade union NVF, which was involved in pushing for the change in the law, sees that it is increasingly the workers’ conditions that apply.
– I think you become more attractive as an employer if you can offer good digital solutions and opportunities for hybrid work, says Hans Walthie, communications manager at NVF.