Labor Law — Remote Work
Remote Work Rights in Israel —
What Your Employer Owes You
The Remote Work Law 5782-2022 created enforceable rights for employees who work from home. Adv. Liron Elmaliach helps remote workers understand and protect those rights — from unreimbursed expenses to unlawful surveillance and wrongful dismissal.
Remote work has become a permanent feature of the Israeli labour market. Yet many employees — and some employers — are still unaware of the specific legal framework that governs it. The Remote Work Law 5782-2022 is not a set of guidelines; it is binding legislation with real consequences for employers who ignore it.
If you work from home and your employer has never given you a written arrangement, refused to cover your internet or electricity costs, demanded that you be reachable at all hours, or threatened to dismiss you for not returning to the office — you may have a legal claim.
Adv. Liron Elmaliach advises employees throughout Israel on their remote work rights, helps recover unreimbursed expenses, and represents workers facing unlawful pressure to return to the office or wrongful termination.
Legal Framework for Remote Work in Israel
The Remote Work Law 5782-2022 applies to any employee who works remotely at least one day per week on a regular basis. The employer is required to set out the remote work arrangement in a written document signed by both parties — covering the days worked remotely, the hours of availability, and how expenses will be handled.
On the subject of expenses, the law is clear: an employer must reimburse costs that are directly and reasonably attributable to performing the work from home. In practice this means a proportionate share of internet costs and electricity. The parties may agree on a fixed monthly payment in lieu of itemised reimbursement, but the employer cannot simply refuse to pay.
The right to disconnect is a central pillar of the law. The written arrangement must specify the hours during which the employee is expected to be available. Outside those hours, the employee is entitled to be completely offline — and must not be penalised, formally or informally, for exercising that right. Patterns of messaging employees late at night or at weekends and penalising non-response are a direct breach of this provision.
Common Violations and Employee Rights
Demands for constant availability are among the most common violations seen in practice. Employers who send messages at midnight, expect immediate responses on weekends, or deduct performance marks for being "unreachable" outside hours are breaching the right to disconnect. Repeated violations can ground a claim for compensation or — if the working conditions become intolerable — constructive dismissal.
Surveillance of remote workers is a legally sensitive area. An employer may use reasonable tools to verify that work is being performed — such as project management software or time-tracking systems disclosed to the employee. What an employer may not do is install covert keyloggers, activate webcams without consent, or demand that employees remain on video call throughout the day. Such measures violate the Protection of Privacy Law and may also constitute a criminal offence.
Dismissal for refusing to return to the office is increasingly common as companies revise their hybrid-work policies. If your remote work arrangement was a written contractual term, the employer cannot unilaterally revoke it without notice and — in most cases — without your agreement. Dismissal in these circumstances may be wrongful.
Claiming back unreimbursed expenses is a straightforward legal claim in most cases. If you have been paying for work internet and electricity without reimbursement since commencing remote work, the amounts owed can accumulate significantly. These claims can be brought before the Labour Court, and in many cases the employer will settle once a formal demand is made.
Frequently Asked Questions — Remote Work Rights in Israel
Answers to the most common questions from remote workers
Know Your Rights as a Remote Worker
Free Initial Consultation — Remote Work Law
Adv. Liron Elmaliach — Labor Law, Jerusalem