Work where you want: at home, in the office or elsewhere?

Many employees want to continue working at home (full-time or part-time) even after corona. For many people, working from home helps create a better work-life balance. Others find that working from home makes the work-life balance worse because you are never completely ‘away from work’. In any case, long and hard thinking is going into how to develop this issue. Remote working is a hot topic worldwide.

In the Netherlands, the government is even working on the ‘Work Where You Want Act’. Does this mean that in the future, all employees will be able to work from a desk on a tropical island?

No, the bill does not go that far. If this bill were to pass, the employee would only be able to choose between two workplaces:

1. The address registered with the employer as the employee’s residence address
2. Employer’s work location

But what if the employee decides to move permanently to his vacation home in Greece? Or if the employer also has a branch in New York and the employee prefers to work there?

In any case, the employer will have the option of rejecting an employee’s request for workplace adjustment based on the standard of reasonableness and fairness. Issues that are likely to factor into the decision include employee welfare, good teamwork, heavy administrative or financial burdens for the employer, e.g., having to set up a new payroll in a distant country, where different and unfamiliar rules apply. Incidentally, the bill only applies to companies that employ 10 or more workers.

All in all, there are still many questions about the new bill. We will of course keep you updated with regard to this bill.