Demands for remote working because of congestion are “ridiculous” and “unfair on business owners and employers”, an HR expert has argued. 

Heavy traffic during rush hour is a perennial complaint from office workers in towns and cities across Ireland. 

Some have responded by asking for more days where they can work from home. 

Traffic in Dublin. Picture by: Alamy. 

However, HR Buddy CEO Damien McCarthy described the demand for ever more WFH as a “worrying trend”. 

“I've seen this in particular over the last few months, where I think there's an insecure and immature argument being put out there - which is unfair on business owners and employers,” he explained on Newstalk Breakfast. 

“One of the more ridiculous arguments I've heard over the last number of months is that employers should leave their workers' work from home on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, so that there would be less traffic and less traffic chaos inside in their cities and towns.

“I think this is the remote working argument gone mad.”

Heavy traffic in Dublin. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Mr McCarthy added that to be employed in 2026 means working in “the most flexible world of work that we have ever lived in”. 

“We've seen huge improvements,” he said. 

“It was obviously remote and flexible working was kicked on obviously by the COVID pandemic and I think we've done very well in this country in adapting to it.

“But we must continue to move forward and I suppose why I'm taking aim at this kind of debate or argument that employers, you know, and they should leave workers at home to kind of solve the traffic chaos is that employers and employees pay their taxes.” 

Mr McCarthy added that instead people should be asking the Government to build the infrastructure that will cut travel times. 

Main image: A split of traffic in Dublin and a man WFH. Pictures by: RollingNews and Alamy.