The Netherlands moves closer to creating the right to work from home

Elected officials in the Netherlands are poised to give employees more leverage if they want to work remotely, which we can only assume is part of an initiative to eliminate bicycle traffic jams and generally give everyone more time to tend to their tulips. (Don’t fact check us: We’re American, and this is what we imagine it’s like to live in the Netherlands.)

What happened: Last week, the lower house of the Dutch parliament said employers had to consider workers’ requests to work remotely, if the nature of their jobs enables them to do so. Should the legislation pass the Dutch Senate and become law, employers would be required to give consideration to employees’ remote work requests, and if they deny them, they would have to give reasons for doing so.

Why? A small number of Dutch workers were working remotely since long before the pandemic; Eurostat reported that 14% of the population worked remotely in 2018.

Steven van Weyenberg, a member of the D66 party and coauthor of the bill, believes that workers are more productive at home without the pains of commuting. Plus, they can get tasks done around the house.

“Sometimes you can concentrate extra well at home and…then also open the door for the plumber,” van Weyenberg said.

Could it happen to US? Should Congress want to get its approval rating up, this one seems to have broad appeal. A recent poll from McKinsey found that when Americans have the chance to work flexibly, 87% take it.—SV

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