Irish bosses are looking to tackle unofficial "hushed hybrid" remote working deals, according to new research.
"Hushed hybrid" agreements involve local managers signing off on individuals' work arrangements that do not follow official policy.
New research from CIPD, the professional body for the HR industry, shows that employers in Ireland are increasingly taking the power to decide working arrangements away from local managers.
The figures show a 10% jump in workplaces deciding at a more central level how flexible and remote policies should apply.
The data is contained in preliminary findings from CIPD's annual HR Practices in Ireland survey, conducted on its behalf by the Kemmy Business School at University of Limerick.
The research found that 28% of respondents said productivity is higher under hybrid conditions.
However, another 28% reported lower productivity where employees were fully remote.
About a third of organisations said they have people on-site two days per week, and a similar number require three days on-site.
15% of respondents said they increased the number of days on-site in 2024 and 11% said they plan to increase that figure this year.
Two thirds of organisations have not, and do not plan to, change the number of mandated days on-site.
CIPD in Ireland Director Mary Connaughton said "hushed hybrid" deals can pose problems.
"Managers who engage more regularly with employees often have an understanding of their individual needs and this can influence decisions around working arrangements," Ms Connaughton said.
"However this can provoke dissatisfaction and even conflict among employees where some groups have to follow company policy more closely," she said.
"It can also lead to inequalities, for example if parents are seen to benefit from more days working from home than those without caring responsibilities," she stated.
"Managers need to be briefed on how to explain the rationale for the company policy, the level of flexibility allowed, and how to deal with very real objections from employees," she added.
The initial data from the 2025 HR Practices in Ireland survey is being released to coincide with CIPD in Ireland's Employment Law in Ireland conference, which is taking place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin today.
CIPD in Ireland collected over 230 responses to the online survey between November and December 2024.
