Remote working public servants not entitled to take flexi time.

HartsHat

horsebox7 wrote: »

Due to unprecedented cv19 arrangements public servants including those working in the local authority sector are not entitled to take flexi leave while those who are office based are entitled to take flexi leave which is unfair.

Get a grip. It's a privilege, not a right. You're not commuting.

HartsHat

siblers wrote: »

What about if you need time off for school collections or drop offs? Have a medical appointment? Or if you have no one to mind your child etc for part of the day. Just because you work from home doesn't mean you have no excuse not to be at work

You talk as if all civil servants have flexi as if its some sort of in built necessity?

Flexi is only available to some grades, some of the time, in some locations.

It's not a right.

horsebox7

Is it right that staff work excess additional hours to do work for under resourced departments that they are not credit for in terms of time back?

John Hutton

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058070673

No comment.

RGARDINR

Sure just work a few extra hours Monday to Thursday and take a half day on the Friday. If your allowed do this then it's better then working the extra hrs for one full flexi day a month.

HartsHat

horsebox7 wrote: »

Is it right that staff work excess additional hours to do work for under resourced departments that they are not credit for in terms of time back?

Jesus Christ, would you ever just get on with it?

It's a national emergency.

I have genuinely never come across the attitude in my day to day experience of the civil service.

Shoulder to the wheel time.

We have secure jobs, we got a 2% pay increase this month, get on with the job, work whatever hours are required, and get the country out the other side of side of this.

salonfire

horsebox7 wrote: »

Is it right that staff work excess additional hours to do work for under resourced departments that they are not credit for in terms of time back?

No, it's not right you have to work additional hours to pick up the slack from the wasters in your department (assuming that is not you). Every part of the CS has its wasters that cannot be got rid of.

But hey, you signed up for the job. There's a good chap, keep working up all those additional hours while your team wasters continue to coast along. You're all part of the same union, one for all and all for one.

horsebox7

salonfire wrote: »

No, it's not right you have to work additional hours to pick up the slack from the wasters in your department (assuming that is not you). Every part of the CS has its wasters that cannot be got rid of.

But hey, you signed up for the job. There's a good chap, keep working up all those additional hours while your team wasters continue to coast along. You're all part of the same union, one for all and all for one.

And for those departments who are under resourced?

horsebox7

HartsHat wrote: »

Jesus Christ, would you ever just get on with it?

It's a national emergency.

I have genuinely never come across the attitude in my day to day experience of the civil service.

Shoulder to the wheel time.

We have secure jobs, we got a 2% pay increase this month, get on with the job, work whatever hours are required, and get the country out the other side of side of this.

Have you considered sustainable work life balance and mental health?

HartsHat

horsebox7 wrote: »

Have you considered sustainable work life balance and mental health?

Oh for the love of God.

Your work/life balance and mental health will be just fine if you have to work a few extra hours.

It's a national emergency, get on with it.

kathleen37

horsebox7 wrote: »

Have you considered sustainable work life balance and mental health?

I've been loath to reply to this thread - same as I didn't reply to your thread in April (linked further up) where you were off work and didn't appear too willing to get setup for working from home? I'm glad that got sorted as it seems you are now working from home.

Sincerely, if the temporary removal of flexi during a pandemic is affecting your work life balance and mental health, then I wonder if the job you have is right for you?

Mental health is so, so important. From what you have posted, it does look like your employer is doing what they can to assist you. But sometimes, it's just the case that a person and a job doesn't fit. That isn't necessarily anyone's fault.

Having a job isn't a right. It does require give and take from both sides.

If the removal of the flexi is really affecting you, then I would recommend looking for something else. I don't think it is something that you yourself can change though of course contact your Union. Stressing out over something that isn't in your remit to get changed though, isn't helpful for you.

Look at your current job and the changes that have been made to accommodate you and consider would you get these accommodations in another position?

I genuinely wish you all the best. Take care of yourself.

noodler

John Hutton wrote: »

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058070673

No comment.

It's scary tbh.

SouthWesterly

kathleen37 wrote: »

I've been loath to reply to this thread - same as I didn't reply to your thread in April (linked further up) where you were off work and didn't appear too willing to get setup for working from home? I'm glad that got sorted as it seems you are now working from home.

Sincerely, if the temporary removal of flexi during a pandemic is affecting your work life balance and mental health, then I wonder if the job you have is right for you?

Mental health is so, so important. From what you have posted, it does look like your employer is doing what they can to assist you. But sometimes, it's just the case that a person and a job doesn't fit. That isn't necessarily anyone's fault.

Having a job isn't a right. It does require give and take from both sides.

If the removal of the flexi is really affecting you, then I would recommend looking for something else. I don't think it is something that you yourself can change though of course contact your Union. Stressing out over something that isn't in your remit to get changed though, isn't helpful for you.

Look at your current job and the changes that have been made to accommodate you and consider would you get these accommodations in another position?

I genuinely wish you all the best. Take care of yourself.

I couldn't have said it better. thank you.

horsebox7

Essentially conditions for remote working are not the same.

kathleen37

horsebox7 wrote: »

Essentially conditions for remote working are not the same.

During a pandemic, I would agree with you. These are not normal times.

beauf

horsebox7 wrote: »

Essentially conditions for remote working are not the same.

They don't have to be. You can have people on different "conditions" on the same office depending on business requirements and what they are working on. Privileges can also be withdrawn for other reasons. All contracts will say this in terms and conditions.

gordongekko

horsebox7 wrote: »

Should working from home be penalised? Don't think so.

You don't have a commute . Take that as being your Flexi

gordongekko

gordongekko wrote: »

You don't have a commute . Take that as being your Flexi

Actually, the few flexi workers I know are working most of their commuting time also. My house companion works at home, about 10.5 hours extra a week. For free.

noodler

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Actually, the few flexi workers I know are working most of their commuting time also. My house companion works at home, about 10.5 hours extra a week. For free.

If true they should talk to their long manager to see if they can manage their load better or come to a local agreement on Flexi.

kathleen37

Covidhaveago wrote: »

No issues here with taking of flexi leave not being allowed while WFH. Most of my direct reports have chosen to take barely any annual leave since lockdown began, imagine its something similar same across the CS.

What is the plan for people to take leave? What happens if everyone wants to take leave at the same time? Are people being allowed to carry leave over, which then leads to the question, how is leave managed next year?

I'd strongly suggest getting something in place here. I'd also agree with the taking of leave being a H&S issue.

HartsHat

horsebox7 wrote: »

Essentially conditions for remote working are not the same.

Correct.

Those at home don't have to commute to work or put themselves at risk from COVID.

Remote workers don't get Flexi.

C'est la vie.

beauf

HartsHat wrote: »

Correct.

Those at home don't have to commute to work or put themselves at risk from COVID.

Remote workers don't get Flexi.

C'est la vie.

None of that is relevant to Flexi.

People should stop linking it to safely or commuting it's got nothing to do with that. It's simply a perk that's been removed due to business requirements. Which they can do.

Tork

How long are you in the civil service? If you were there in 2008 you'll remember how your pay got cut and that you had to finally start paying more towards your pension. If I were you, I'd be praying that the government doesn't come back for more €, not whinging about losing a perk of the job.

OP I asked you back in my earlier post #91, have you actually been instructed to work the set standard hours, 9:15am to 5:45pm or are your start / lunch \ end of the day still flexible.

As I far as I can tell you haven't replied to my question, so I have to assume you haven't been asked to work set hours.

The fact is, flexible working hours are still in operation, its just the ability to work up flexi days that has been suspended for staff WFH.

From my personal perspective, I'm not going to complain about not being allow to making up 1.5 days a month on the clock, when I am saving the equivalent of 2 days every WEEK by not having to commute to an office.

You can see from the thread, you don't even have the support of other civil servants on this one.

Jim Root

Didn’t you just get a 2% increase in pay?

gmisk

Jim Root wrote: »

Didn’t you just get a 2% increase in pay?

That was a pay restoration no? Bit of a difference.

Tork

Jim Root wrote: »

Didn’t you just get a 2% increase in pay?

There's a real bang of "let them eat cake" off the OP. There are thousands of people now out of work or on reduced pay who'd love to be in their position. Some people want everything. They'll be the first to squawk when the bills for the pandemic start rolling in and their pay gets cut again.

Meeoow

noodler wrote: »

If true they should talk to their long manager to see if they can manage their load better or come to a local agreement on Flexi.

I would imagine that most managers will accommodate flexible workers, but if the workers are being awkward, maybe they will not be afforded flexi time.

gmisk

The OP can ask to work in the office if they want flexi time. So it is still an option.
They should be happy to have a job that lets them work from home on full pay.

horsebox7

gmisk wrote: »

The OP can ask to work in the office if they want flexi time. So it is still an option.
They should be happy to have a job that lets them work from home on full pay.

Valid point. Perhaps the offer of flexi leave may incentivise some employees to work from the office so that they can have the same conditions as their colleagues. This may also help employers have employees return to the office during this unprecedented cv19 pandemic even though some employees may have underlying health conditions.