A leading employment law solicitor has explained the rules on whether workers can be forced by their employers to return to offices.
The Taoiseach announced in an address to the nation on Friday that a number of Ireland's Covid restrictions would be lifted.
Among these was a return to physical attendance in workplaces on a phased basis from Monday.
However, after almost two years of carrying out their roles remotely, many employees will be wondering if they can continue working from home as offices reopen.
Trade Union Forsa has called for a continuation of remote working into the future, stating that the benefits of working from home "must not be lost" as life returns to normal.
Richard Grogan, an employment lawyer based in Dublin, outlined the rules on whether employees are required to return to workplaces if requested to do so by their bosses.
On his popular TikTok account, where he has amassed more than 120,000 followers, he explained on Sunday: "On Friday it was announced that there's going to be a great return to the office. So how's it going to work if there's any disputes?
"At the present time, the legislation that was announced in June last year that there would be a right to request to work from home has not even been drafted.
"So there is no legal basis for challenging an employer who says, 'I want you back in the office'.
"Well, not fully. There will be issues for those who have childcare or those who have carer duties where there are issues there where they may very well have an equality claim if they're forced back.
"There are certainly going to be unfair dismissal claims for those who don't want to go back and are simply dismissed without going through fair procedures.
"But this is going to be a bit of a mess for a little while until the government brings out some guidelines because that's the law, and that's a fact."
In another video on Sunday, Mr Grogan explained the challenges and disputes that could arise as people return to the workplace.
"We'll look at the situation of an employee who is working quite successfully at home," he said.
"The employer accepts that but now that the restrictions are gone, the employer says, 'Well we really need to look at your home working station to make sure it's health and safety compliant'.
"Unfortunately, particularly those who are working in apartments are going to have difficulties on that."
A second issue will arise as a result of data protection and GDPR, Mr Grogan explained.
This could arise if a home-worker is sharing a room with someone else and they are doing confidential work.
Mr Grogan said that unfortunately there is no legislation covering this, but added that he would keep people updated as the situation develops.
