Civil servants working abroad not covered by new rules mandating 40% office attendance
The civil service has confirmed that some staff may have deals to work overseas – but it does not know how many as arrangements are set up with line managers and it doesn’t hold data centrally.
Staff working outside of the UK and Ireland will not be subject to new rules requiring 40% office attendance, the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) says. However, any staff living in Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland would be required to attend an office in the province two days per week.
The organisation has been unable to answer questions about how many staff are employed abroad, or outside Northern Ireland, as such arrangements would have been set up on an individual basis, and details would be held by individual departments.
In June, the BBC’s Nolan Show reported that a senior civil servant had an arrangement of working 3 weeks per month abroad, saying it was “a fair and reasonable solution which meets the needs of the Department”. The employee had partially relocated to France for family reasons.
When asked for a figures for staff working abroad, the Department of Finance (DoF) would only say that the new working from home policy does not apply to staff who are “overseas”.
A spokesperson said its hybrid working policy does not cover arrangements to work overseas. “Designated workplaces falling within the scope of the hybrid working policy are located in this jurisdiction; working remotely or from home under hybrid working arrangements does not change the designated workplace location.
“Currently, working arrangements for time spent in the designated workplace and from home/other remote location are agreed between managers and staff. Workstyle Agreements in relation to hybrid arrangements are not held centrally.”
A TUV spokesman said: “Northern Ireland taxpayers fund these jobs — they are entitled to know if staff are based in the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain, or even further afield. Instead, the Department has chosen to dodge the issue and hide behind policy jargon. This is basic accountability, and there is no excuse for secrecy. The figures should be released immediately. If they do not, it is a matter TUV will press the Minister on when Stormont returns next month.”