With the advent of forced remote working during COVID-19, recent polls suddenly show everybody with a job they can do away from their normal workplace is demanding flexibility from their employer.
The same polls show that more than 66 per cent want “hybrid” work schedules: ones where employees can and usually have to attend at their regular workplace (e.g. office) for a portion of every week or most weeks but have flexibility to work remotely for the rest of the time. Take for example the millennial sitting beside me on the plane while I write this article: she was hired to work 100 per cent remote with only quarterly meet-ups but is excited to move to Toronto where she will be able to go into the office part of the week. Many also want flexibility to work from more distant locations, such as a second home in a different time zone or to work non-traditional hours or schedules.
Many employers keen to accommodate and thus retain and attract these demanding workers (and possibly save on office rental space) are quickly agreeing to such hybrid work requests, often without thinking through the legal consequences.
The good news is that, at least initially, the employer gets to choose where the work is done. Pre-COVID, that was traditionally at the office. Exceptions were rarely granted. Although many employers allowed their employees to work fully or part time remotely due to COVID safety concerns, they retain the right to require employees to return to working full time in the...
President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on October 13. President Lee Jae-myung called for a stern response to the spread of false information regarding eggs rece...