Northern Ireland's civil servants will have to spend a minimum of 2 days per week in the office under new rules
Civil servants are now required to be in the office at least two days per week, when changes to the organisation’s working from home policy come into effect next month.
Thousands of Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) staff were sent home during the coronavirus pandemic, but there has been a push to see them return to the office in recent years.
Some civil servants had bespoke agreements which would have required very little office attendance – as little as twice a month or in some cases, not at all. But they have now been scrapped as the organisation attempts to bring in a uniform policy.
A DUP MLA has said that the hybrid working offered by the civil service must deliver for the public, citing concerns about access to services, particularly for older people.
Public sector trade union Nipsa – which opposed the changes – says it “will continue to monitor the imposition and ensure that there is flexibility particularly for those staff with disabilities or who need adjustment and flexibility for other reasons”.
Stormont’s Department of Finance said that “as a result of the revised policy, staff engaged in hybrid working must attend their designated workplace for at least 40% of their contractual working hours each week. For those with alternative working patterns, this requirement will be calculated on a pro-rata basis. The NICS Office Estate can accommodate the hybrid working policy workplace attendance requirements which will be managed locally by departments/business areas.”
DUP MLA Diane Forsythe said working from home “has become the new normal and offers clear advantages, particularly in terms of childcare. We must recognise that staff have made permanent adaptations to new working arrangements”.
The South Down MLA added: “While there are benefits to spending more time in the office – for team building, collaboration and social interaction – we must also ensure that hybrid working is delivering for the public.”
She has called for “a proper assessment of productivity and public service delivery”, and said that the current NICS estate “cannot accommodate a full return for all staff, but that should be driving efficiencies and savings to the public purse”.
l Morning View, page 16