July 10, 2022: Last Tuesday, the work-from-home legislation was approved by the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of the Netherlands.
The lower house of the bicameral Dutch parliament has finally approved the work-from-home legislation to make the Netherlands one of the first countries in the world to allow remote working become a legal right.
Remote working, or working-from-home, is a corporate facility that allows employees to work from anywhere. They do not have to commit to a central place of work, such as a store, an office or a warehouse.
The concept became especially popular during the COVID-19 pandemic as companies were forced to shut down the offline offices to contain the spread of infections and quarantine themselves at home. This propelled a shift in work attitudes forcing many workers to adapt to a work-flexible lifestyle. Many of them have been experiencing a similar work attitude for the last two years.
In the Netherlands, the legislation now needs approval from the Dutch Senate before its final rollout. As per the law, employers will now have to allow their employees to request the respective firm for remote working options as long as the profession allows it.
Ever since governments have started to fuel vaccination drives across the globe, employees have started to slowly move back to their off-line office spaces, gradually healing up the world economy.