Remote working could trigger a change in how people are paid with a return to a "modern version of piecework", according to a leading employment specialist.
Managing Partner at Stratis Consulting Brendan McGinty notes that many labour laws and regulations are structured on the basis of being paid on the basis of time, rather than per task completed.
However, Mr McGinty, who was Director of Industrial Relations at ibec for many years, cautions that as remote work becomes a permanent feature of life after the pandemic, one key issue looming will be pay.
"A significant issue which will arise with the mainstreaming of remote working is to decide if for certain roles, there should be a movement towards pay for work done rather than for time," he said.
He acknowledges that this shift would not be appropriate for all roles but for work that lent itself to project delivery roles, a trend would start to take shape.
Asked whether this would effectively be a return to "piece work", he said it would be "of that ilk" where staff would get paid effectively for performance.
He suggested this could involve some elements of "platform work" where an employee would be paid for the completion of the task, rather than by the hour.
Mr McGinty said the employment basis could be structured in a number of ways, with the possibility of a "floor" or basic payment over a period of a year, with additional payments on the basis of productivity.
"This is not going to be a universal thing, but as part of the reimagining of work, it is going to be part of the debate," he said.
In his Stratis bulletin, Mr McGinty also warned that pay will be off the agenda for most employers amid the uncertainty of Covid-19 and Brexit particularly for those reliant on the domestic economy.
However, he forecasts that private sector firms least impacted by the pandemic could see pay rises of 2-2.5% subject to productivity.
"Ultimately, a key consideration is the need for employers to balance affordability amidst the continuing uncertainty when considering their approach to pay and reward as they assess the impact of trading uncertainties for their business and capacity to sustain jobs." he said.
He also warned that there is no justification for "cost of living" increases, when "benign" inflation is running at 0.3% for 2020, and -0.6% last January,
He also warned that even if vaccines are successfully deployed by the second half of next year, labour market recovery is likely to lag until the broader economic recovery beds in.
He said there could be a tide of job losses when state employment supports are eventually withdrawn.
"In examining the impact on the labour market it is important to recall that, while every effort has been made by Government and employers to sustain as many jobs as possible, the reality for many has been postponed, and over the coming months, as some of those state supports are unwound, we will see more employers resize their businesses and a surge in redundancies is likely to follow," he concluded.
