Dutch Lawmakers Propose to Make 'Work From Home' A Legal Right in Netherlands

Two Dutch lawmakers are reportedly proposing legislation to establish work-from-home as a ¡®legal right¡¯. This would make the Netherlands one of the first countries to grant remote working flexibility by law, as per a Bloomberg report.

The legislation will be introduced by Steven van Weyenberg, a member of the pro-European D-66 Party, and Senna Maatoug, a lawmaker for the Green Party, Weyenberg told Bloomberg on Wednesday (22nd June). The two Dutch lawmakers will submit the proposal to parliament before the house enters summer recess on July 3rd 2022.

¡°We have the green light for this new law thanks to the support we received from both employees and employers¡¯ unions,¡± said Weyenberg. ¡°We are very hopeful it will pass before the summer.¡±

Amidst this push to make work from home a legal right, it is noteworthy that the Netherlands already has the shortest average work week, with the Dutch working an average of 29.5 hours per week, as per OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). It is an intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, that aimed to stimulate economic progress and world trade.

Earlier in April 2022, tech giant Dell had reportedly offered some of its staff in the Netherlands the option of a 4-day work week as part of a trial aimed at offering more flexible arrangements for employees.

Now it remains to be seen whether the proposal to make work from home a legal right goes through or not in the Netherlands.

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The Bloomberg report stated that the covid pandemic has fueled a shift in attitudes about work, with many workers seeking to maintain some of the flexibility they¡¯ve enjoyed over the last two years. But with companies seeking to respond to surging demand as the pandemic recedes, the topic is becoming an increasingly polarizing issue.

Earlier this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had issued an ultimatum for staff at the company to return to the office or quit. He had even announced a 10% staff layoff, which was confirmed by some employees on LinkedIn.

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Other Countries¡¯ Steps Towards 4-Day Work Week

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The 4 day work week culture has also begun to pace up across the globe. Earlier this month, the world¡¯s biggest trial of a four-day work week had kicked off in the UK, with more than 70 companies and 3,300 employees participating. Thousands of workers across different sectors of the UK economy had signed up for this project to work for four days a week, while still receiving full pay.

Another country put forth four-day work week plans. Scotland¡¯s public sector workers were set to be offered a 4-day week but in exchange for pay cuts. This has been reported as an attempt to tackle a soaring taxpayer-funded pay bill.

As expected, the plan to cut pay in exchange for a reduced work week had provoked a backlash from campaigners and trade unions, who believe working fewer hours would lead to increases in productivity and that employees should not have to accept reduced salaries.

And as recently as this week, a new study by American experience management company Qualtrics revealed that 60% of employees in India prefer flexibility at work over a four-day work week.

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