Civil Service - Post Lockdown - Blended Working?

Lynnington3

I’m in AGS and in our office we were never working from home (due to nature of what we deal with) and we also never had access to flexi (thought we are trying to bring that in now). I totally agree with the above comment, regarding being the last to know etc, I feel those in AGS are in a type of no man’s land, not fully in the mix in either AGS or CS. I personally will be very happy when my mobility comes up and I transfer to a different department. Feeling very disillusioned with AGS right now

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119373099#Comment_119373099

Sound advice whether you want to WFH or not...

mtb_sends

Anyone know why departments leave job postings up on their websites way after the deadline has passed, is there some operational reason for it

delboy85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119364303#Comment_119364303

I can confirm this. D/Agriculture released their policy a few weeks ago.

It's basically three days in the office and two days working from home.

It's pretty much what I was expecting and am happy enough with it.

The document also states that flexi can't be accrued on the days when working from home.

Addle

We’re trying to find out if any department has no wfh opportunities. Does anyone know?

Have heard of 1 that’s just allowing 1 day a week wfh.

metroline

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119373773#Comment_119373773

Do you know what the story with WFH and if there's access to flexi in the HR Directorate in Navan?

I may have the opportunity for a transfer and no WFH is fine but without flexi I think I'd rather stick commuting to Dublin 3 days and WFH the other 2 days in my current department!!!

Lynnington3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119391455#Comment_119391455

No idea about Navan , but worth giving them a call and asking if flexi is available.

There are some departments in AGS that have never had access to flexi and probably won’t in the future. As for working from home, my section and a few others in HQ continued to work in the office all through the pandemic and option to WFH was never there. Very much depends on what section you’re in I think.

tgdaly

Hi, would be grateful if anyone could tell me if the Dep of Education has published their Blended Working Policy yet, feel free to PM if you don't want to mention it publicly. Thanks in advance

delboy85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119399672#Comment_119399672

To the best of my knowledge they haven't. I have a friend who works in the Department and she said (a few days ago) that she has seen or heard nothing about their Blended Working Policy.

JoeSexton

Our blended working policy was published today - max of 1 day a week from home, organisation-wide. To me this is ridiculous and I really think there will be a mass exodus from my department (ICT). Happy to share the name of our organisation via PM.

chooey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119387453#Comment_119387453

I was really hoping it would be three days WFH, 2 days in. That extra day makes such a difference.

mighty22

Would this apply to ICT posts too?

TaurenDruid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119503669#Comment_119503669

Not necessarily. Most places' official policies make it clear that whatever the "standard" policy, exceptions must be made for operational areas where the standard policy doesn't apply or will be subject to local arrangements - whatever is required to keep the place operating. Normally this would include areas that need to have bodies on the ground. So that will include public-facing offices with callers, facilities, and ICT. May be different, obviously, if you're just involved in development or testing rather than ops, infrastructure or support.

mighty22

Thanks but seems like a minimum of 3days on site anyway? I’m in another dept atm and it’s remote working in the main which I’d be reluctant to give up!

Plascebo

Anyone know what the situation is in the DCEDIY, I have been offered a position there but there seems to be very little information to be found on the working conditions etc in the department?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119508095#Comment_119508095

A friend of mine started there a few weeks ago, and he is on 3 days in the office and 2 days WFH. He loves the dept and the work, so far!

TaurenDruid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506760#Comment_119506760

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119508095#Comment_119508095

I'll run another poll in mid-September, by which time all Departments and most agencies should have at least published their WFH policies, based off the DPER framework, but in the meantime obviously there's no harm in phoning up a Department or agency's HR and asking what their policy is (bearing in mind it may differ from section to section within a Department, no harm to ask to speak to the head of the section you'd be moving to, anyway).

And it may not be a bad thing anyway for HR departments to be reminded that things like availability of blended working really do impact on decisions to take a job somewhere!

ciaran_gell

Started there recently 3 days WFH and 2 days in the office. Blended working policy according to my PO will be the same, unless you take up a role that by it's very nature requires you to be in the office.

Has to be applied for but given that we've two times more staff than desks in the department there's a general impression that most staff will be WFH 3 days a week.

Plascebo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119518184#Comment_119518184

Hi ciaran_gell, is that for the DCEDIY?

Thanks.

Emma2019

Does anyone know what the NSSO WFH policy is for new recruits at CO level?

forrest gump

I have a commute of over two hours every day. I work in IT in the service and it is costing me €20 euro a day to come into work.

Yes I know it was my decision to live that far away from my work place. Where it was one of those things that you did before COVID. But when you can do two and half years at home and be more productive. Why do I need to be in the office? It has opened a lot of people's eyes.

In our section there is about 20 staff. And 75% of them are going through the interview/application process to get out of the section.

The reason being we are officially one day WFH. The management are so short sighted they don't see that people are so peed off working in the office with everything that it involves. That they are going to loose so many skilled people. And even then they still think they are doing a good job.

I am at the interview stage for a new role. I wouldn't have looked for the new role only for the policy and the way the whole situation was handled in my department.

tgdaly

Hi all, not sure if anyone has any experience of this. I am moving to a new department shortly. Where I currently am, we were provided with work laptops, but I have heard (anecdotally) that in this new department that people have been having to use their own laptops.

I am surprised to hear that from a security point of view etc. Have people had to provide their own laptops? I don't currently have a personal laptop and wouldnt to miss out on remote working so would have to get one, would seem like a strange burden to place on people starting off

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119524327#Comment_119524327

I used my personal laptop with Citrix for the first 10/11 months of the pandemic, but once we were issued with work laptops we were told to use only them for work purposes.

I'd be surprised if the anecdote that your new Dept doesn't provide a laptop is true.

wench

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119524327#Comment_119524327

During the lockdowns most of my dept would have used their own laptop/computer.

That was phased out over the last year, and now as part of our blended working everyone has been issued a work laptop.

I would be very surprised if any department's long term plan was for staff to provide their own equipment.

yabadabado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119524327#Comment_119524327

Best to ring/email the new department HR and ask them.

I know some people used their own laptops due to shortages at the beginning of the lockdown but that should be fases out long ago.

LegallyAbroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119524327#Comment_119524327

Say you don't have a laptop. Under no circumstances use your own.

Addle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119523725#Comment_119523725

Best of luck with your interview.

Only offering 1 day a week is a very bad reflection on a department. What’s the reasoning behind it?

Icbaby

I use my own laptop. I have the option to take a work computer (full monitor, unit and accessories) home but I don’t have room for that as I need to pack away at the end of the day. Have never been offered a laptop but for the option to work from home I’m happy to use my laptop.

forrest gump

They don't want people WFH so they offer one day and make the policy and form that needs to be completed when applying for WFH as long and tedious in the hope that people won't apply for WFH.

Emma2019

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119532121#Comment_119532121

I think the whole CS has the same form as you have to apply through the NSSO. Unless your dept also has additional forms?

Our application process is quite smooth anyway and we only have to come in one day a month if our manager says ok. I'm only going to be coming in one day a week. My colleague is coming in one day every 2 weeks.