WFH to be a legal right in Netherlands
The Dutch parliament recently approved a legislation that established work-fom-home (WFH) as a legal right, setting the Netherlands up to be one of the first countries to enshrine such flexibility in law.
Amending the Flexible Working Act of 2015, the new legislation forces employers to consider home working requests from their employees. It also requires them to provide a reason if they would reject the request.
Senna Maatoug of the GroenLinks party and a co-author of the bill said that the law is an “important step” for workers as it allows them a better work-life balance and reduced commuting time.
Steven van Weyenberg, a member of the D66 party and the bill’s co-author, said “For employers, this is also a good law. Because a happy employee is a happy employer.”
A recent poll of 5,300 Dutch employees in the financial, business and government sectors found that 70% wanted to vary between working at home and in the office. Only 10% wanted to return to full-time office work, and 20% said they only wanted to work from home.
Some Dutch employers are also supporting the bill as they believe that continuing to allow remote working would facilitate productivity and worker satisfaction.
The legislation will now head to the Senate for final approval.
