A court in Israel has ruled that a company was entitled to turn
down an employee's request to work remotely.
In a ruling recently issued by the Tel Aviv District Labour
Court in the case of the Middle East Pipeline Company, the
district court discussed a claim lodged by an employee, who worked
as a payroll accountant, that her employer discriminated against
her in comparison with an equivalent employee, by not allowing her
to work from home. This, according to her, was contrary to the
provisions of the Employment (Equal Opportunities) Law of 1988.
The district court stated in its ruling that, as a general rule,
the decision whether to allow an employee, following his or her
request, to work from home, is part of the employer's
prerogative, and is at the core of the employer's discretion.
It does not constitute a right and does not form part of the
employee's working conditions.
