Civil Service - Post Lockdown - Blended Working?

HartsHat · 18-05-2022 11:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119079610#Comment_119079610

Interesting that it will save some people money, but will actually cost money for the people who cycle/run/walk to the office (who aren't emitting any carbon anyway).

tgdaly · 18-05-2022 11:45am

My Department is currently doing a staff survey on blended working, if you were applying for blended working how many days would you like to work from home, what's the best thing about working from home, best thing about working in the office etc. Will feed into the policy which they are currently working on.

While I answered honestly (and maybe cheekily) that I'd be applying for 5 days, we are currently doing 3 from home, and 2 in the office, and I think long term that would be absolutely fine if that's the policy they went with

martingriff · 18-05-2022 1:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119079882#Comment_119079882

Only doing that now!!!! We have had about 4 already

martingriff · 18-05-2022 1:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119079852#Comment_119079852

There will always be whinners like the ones I know when people went out for a smoke.

SouthWesterly · 18-05-2022 1:32pm

I'm moving to DSP on mobility soon in my local town. It's office based but I can Cycle in in 15 minutes instead of sitting in my car for 40.

Will miss popping out into the garden during the day but the benefits outweigh the losses.

HartsHat · 18-05-2022 1:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080264#Comment_119080264

Are you saying whiners or winners?

I see one of the Branches at today's conference has a motion about compensating employees for the cost of WFH so it clearly isn't a financial positive for anywhere close to everyone.

exitstageleft · 18-05-2022 1:47pm

From what I've heard and seen, quite few wfh policies only indicate a minimum number of days in the office. If it's a big cost burden on some people then they will be welcome to work more days in the office.

Hotblack Desiato · 18-05-2022 1:53pm

A lot of people when talking about the cost of travel to work only look at petrol/diesel but that's very far from the whole cost.

Many families could get rid of a car with WFH. That's a massive saving.

Sure, you can bring packed lunches and forgo all takeaway coffee etc. if working at the office, but most people will be spending money during the day they wouldn't be at home.

I've seen cost of broadband factored in, wtf? As if we are to believe that people in 2022 would not have broadband if not working at home...

adelcrowsmel · 18-05-2022 1:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080252#Comment_119080252

Same...and imagine no matter how many surveys they send around like us the results will be ignored...just want to be seen to be asking for input!

HartsHat · 18-05-2022 2:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080446#Comment_119080446

Yes. Those I've seen are WFH on application.

Everyone who doesnt apply will work as normal.

TaurenDruid · 18-05-2022 2:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080410#Comment_119080410

Seriously?! That's some joke. Hopefully the exec speaks against it and conference roundly defeats it! Unless someone is literally within a short walking distance of their office, they'll save money WFH. And whoever proposed that motion knows it, too. They're trying to have their cake and eat it!

Working from home is "too expensive" for you? Grand. Don't do it, then! 🙄

GoldFour4 · 18-05-2022 3:19pm

It’s entirely the type of motion that would ruin the possibilities of WFH for a majority.

lightspeed · 18-05-2022 8:54pm

I'm being offered a job in the Department of Finance. I need to query if there will be any remote work from home option?

I'm in a job now currently on more money but my thinking is job security and pension benefits might make civil service best choice than staying where I am now. The big difference is in current job I'm at home 5 days a week but this will move to 2 days in the office in a few months.

Can anybody advise is their a hybrid model iin place for the Department of Finance already or will be the case that I have to start and will be told if I can do any remote work from home only after I apply for it?

Rasher_Sausage · 18-05-2022 9:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119082521#Comment_119082521

If you are being offered the job, could you just not ask them?????

lightspeed · 18-05-2022 9:20pm

Yes I intend to but just wondering in the meantime if somebody can advise if it differs between Departments or what is the procedure and norm now to be given option of remote working?

cuttingtimber22 · 18-05-2022 9:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119082650#Comment_119082650

A friend works there and I asked. Two days in now (still not into the definitive post Covid regime) although some are in more than that. Expectation is 3 days in when the policy comes out but some areas will expect full attendance when legislation/budget is happening.

happyWednesday · 18-05-2022 9:36pm

Does anyone know the WFH options in Dept of Transport? I've been offered a role and received a generic mail that everyone is expected in office for a minimum 3 days a week but just wondering if it's more relaxed (as I've heard of some other depts) when you get there?

BhoyRayzor · 18-05-2022 11:26pm

€300 saving a year, surely that should be a month. None of these seem to factor in the cost of your time as well, I value my time more than anyone else ever could and to put a nominal value of €15 or €20 an hour with a 2 or 3 hour daily commute that saving would be higher.

Hotblack Desiato · 18-05-2022 11:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119082521#Comment_119082521

You need to do a bit of homework on this as the pension is nothing like what it used to be.

[Deleted User] · 18-05-2022 11:43pm

i was gonna say. dont be moving for the new pension.

on blended working, our place is three days from home as the presumed position unless your senior managers make a case for otherwise. happy with that and nice to see it put that way and not the opposite- we have justified wfh and thats exactly how it ought to be

lightspeed · 19-05-2022 6:40am

Thanks

I suppose pension isn't the only reason I would be making a move but it's a factor considering I don't have a pension set up at the moment.

It is a HEO position that I'd would be taking and I'm hoping that I would make AP in few years which I understand starts at salary of 70k.

So my thinking is if I stay where I am my salary might increase a little each year buy not by much. So future me 3 to 4 years from now might be better in civil service as hopefully I'd be in a higher salary position plus a pension than staying where I am now.

How often would it be that such promotion opportunities come about?

My current job has me working some serious late hours at month end. Am I deluding myself thinking this wouldn't be the case in civil service?

adelcrowsmel · 19-05-2022 8:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119083330#Comment_119083330

Think they were saying it was really a saving of €1400 a year, but after the increases in heating/fuel/electricity etc that people working from home would still be up €300 a year......so essentially beating the cost of living increases. I presume they were talking about people remote working fulltime and not the majority of the civil service who got stuck with the term 'blended' and now look likely to only get a few days working from home, so these numbers won't apply.

Gusser09 · 19-05-2022 8:12am

Vibes starting to come from Seniir Management and gov that they will bring us back 3 if not 4 days a week. Joke.

Anyone else here that idiot Dublin town ceo Richatr Guiney calling for people to be brought back to city centre offices. Fxxk that.

[Deleted User] · 19-05-2022 8:24am

@lightspeed

presuming AP comes in, ok- competition can be fierce but between open, interdepartmental and internal (these latter may require you be in the service 2 years tho?) and the various specific panels (if you have the relevant professional expertise) you should get a crack at it every year or more often.

whether or not youd be stuck with extra hours is pretty contextual- dept, unit, manager dictate a lot.

Kenrach · 19-05-2022 10:14am

Anyone know the attendance pattern in dept. Housing, local government and heritage?

Larry Bee · 19-05-2022 10:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119084196#Comment_119084196

At the moment its 3 days in 2 days home, unless you get approval from your line manager when its 2 days in and 3 days home. All most everyone has that approval. :)

hardybuck · 19-05-2022 12:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119084376#Comment_119084376

I think a lot of organisations might have said 3 days initially, but are happy to get on with 2 as long as it's keeping the peace and work is getting done ok.

I notice in our place that a few managers are very strict with it, and others are much more laid back with it. It's no surprise that some managers just can't hold on to staff in their teams, or they have demotivated people.

DCC are the gift that keep giving. Come in 5 days before we'll consider letting you work from home. Maybe they genuinely want to encourage people to leave...

Burgo · 19-05-2022 12:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119084196#Comment_119084196

I've a mate who works in IT there, says its 2 days in at the moment. The official policy is still being worked on.

martingriff · 19-05-2022 12:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080410#Comment_119080410

I thinks it was pretty obvious which one I was saying given what I was replying to but yes whiners of course you will have motion by the union to get more also in news night is dark. Not everything suits everyone you can never have something that will make everyone happy

SouthWesterly · 19-05-2022 1:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119083737#Comment_119083737

My heo suggested a few weeks back that it could be 4 days in the office. Currently 2

Civil Service - Post Lockdown - Blended Working?

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