Civil Service - Post Lockdown - Blended Working?

Assuming you have all of the necessary equipment and connectivity at home, what would be the point in commuting to a hub where none of your colleagues are? Perhaps social interaction, or quiet away from a busy household. Otherwise you might as well be at home.

Edited to add: Maybe there is insufficient space or a reluctance to have space taken up with work equipment.

You don't have confidence. Housemates could be up to anything and everything. But hey, employers just said "go for it".

In March 2020, we surveyed 50 users to see if we could possibly use their own devices. The vast majority had no idea if their home PC anti-virus was regularly updated - or even what it was called. I don't really trust that broadband is password protected.

That's true, and the corollary is also true, that WFH is detrimental to mental health and indeed physical health for some people.

Because heating McMansions around the country is so much better than heating one office building.

Here's one article about it, there are many more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/02/is-remote-working-better-for-the-environment-not-necessarily

Do you think the unionised nature of the PS and the resulting difficulty in managing (some) staff might make remote working less feasible? If it is difficult to manage certain people in the office, I am sure it will be even more difficult if they are at home. It would probably not go down well if certain people are not allowed WFH, so might make it an issue for all.

Dept of Ag have anyway.

You can control how much heating you use and your personal electricity too. You can even use a provider that is 100% green like SSE Airtricity. What you can’t do is find an alternative to a bus train or car if you live on the commuter belt and even if you can brave the traffic in a car good luck finding and paying for parking. Besides that the country needs this anyway. It’s not healthy or sustainable to have people spending 3+ hours every day commuting. Not good for family life, parents weren’t getting to see their kids at all. They were leaving for work before they were awake and returning when they had gone to bed. That is no way to exist. Secondly Dublin is not able for the volume of ppl and even if we could build all the homes we need over night the objectors would bring the whole thing to a halt. But more to the point some people have now seen the other side and want to move out. The government’s connected hubs.. our rural future and making remote work campaigns support all these sentiments. They can’t expect everyone to row in if they don’t themselves.

Surely most people will be vaccinated by then? It shouldn't really be an issue going into the office.

Yes and Covid will remain endemic. After the delta variant we will have epsilon, eta, theta etc variants.

I’d like to think we’ll have caught up on our health system back log, women will be able to have babies with their partners present, musicians will be allowed perform in front of crowds, etc, before we have to go to another room to use the laptop we’re using now from home.

Anymore developments in various Departments? Just been told that we will be in one day per week by end of Sept and possibly two at end of October. I am hoping that there won't be a requirement for any greater levels of attendance, provided that work can be done remotely etc as part of the blended working policies being developed.