Work-life Balance Bill and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022

At a glance

• The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 has now passed all stages in the legislative process and has been sent to the President for signing into law.
• The Bill transposes the EU Work Life Balance Directive in relation to family, carers’ leave and flexible working arrangements and amends several pieces of Irish legislation.

What will employees be entitled to?

Under the Work Life Balance Bill, new rights have been developed to better assist employees in balancing their work and family responsibilities. The Bill also recognises victims of domestic violence and introduces domestic violence leave.   

The Work Life Balance Bill introduces the following key entitlements for employees:

• 5 days unpaid leave for medical care purposes to care for their children under twelve, spouses or civil partners, cohabitants, a parent, grandparent or siblings;
• 5 days paid leave if they, or a relevant connected person (spouse, civil partner, cohabitant, child, dependant person) have experienced, or are currently experiencing domestic violence;
• The right to request flexible working (i.e. an adjustment of working hours and patterns) for parents and carers;
• The right to request remote working for all employees who have at least six months of continuous service; and
• The entitlement to breastfeeding breaks has been extended from six months to two years for employees.

In relation to domestic violence leave, employees will be entitled to “domestic violence leave pay” which shall be at his or her normal daily rate of pay.

What do employers need to do?

Once passed into law, employers should review and update their existing family and carers’ leave policies to ensure compliance with the new legislation. Employers should also have regard to a new code of practice which is currently being developed by the Workplace Relations Commission in relation to the implementation of new remote working and flexible working policies to address requests for such arrangements.

If you require further guidance or assistance in updating your employment policies, please contact a member of DLA Piper Ireland's Employment team.