Civil Service - Post Lockdown - Blended Working?

Part 6 - Anything else?

Q21 Do you have anything you'd like to add on the topic of blended working that was missed from the survey and should be included if there's another one?

So the relevant comments received are below. Note, I didn't say in the survey I was going to post these, and probably should have, so I've left out or edited responses that might serve to identify anyone. If anyone recognises their comment and wants it removed, feel free to PM me.

NB: I can only edit this post until approximately 10pm on 1st June.

* Just wish it wasn’t implemented on the personal whims of senior management.

* In DECC five days a week in the office will only be allowed in exceptional circumstances. I answered yes to question on Partnership Committee but its really Grade Forum reps for each grade, and there is a specifically set up cross grade Consultative Group comprising of grade reps from A/Sec down to CO.

* I have answered the questions as "blended working" but our situation at the moment is work at home as we have been doing - there is no option for that scenario! If someone wants to work from the office the line manager should be told but you don't have to book a desk so far. Re when blended work is to come in it has been mooted for September (officially.unofficially) with one day a week the minimum.

* DHLGH are taking a very rigid approach to blended working, despite the fact that the office cannot accommodate all staff at the same time due to increased numbers.

* Yes, DFHERIS have 1 anchor day and 1 floating. No rosters required

* The available answers for Flexi didn't quite fit for my department. Clock in whenever suits (before 10), take lunch whenever suits without clocking out (don't have to take 1.15) and clock out anytime from 4 on. Regardless of how many hours I work I will get 7.24 on the clock. This has been how we worked all during Covid - suits most. We can't build up time but we also can't lose time! The work gets done and I put in longer days when necessary and balance it out when not so busy. In no hurry to see Flexi restored as this system is working well and work gets done.

* What is your preference now that you are back in the office a while post covid on blended working? I would still love fulltime remote working, only to attend the office for meeting/onsite training etc.

* Our Department will publish the policy over the next few months but have indicated that there will be flexibility for AP/POs in each area with a minimum of only 4 days per month required in the office.

* How it will all work in relation to recruitment into the future ie will there be separate competitions which will recruit for remote jobs only (I would like to see this), will it be embedded into job descriptions (I'm starting to see this).

* If we have a bank holiday or day off these days are regarded as our remote working days so some weeks we have no remote working. Although we have normal working hours our remote days are changed on a whim for no reason, messing up childcare arrangements etc, regularly.

* Some of the questions previously should have included the option to say we’re currently still WFH 5 days a week rather than blended (current situation for DSP policy staff until policy is published). Perhaps questions about how/if applications were made

* My department sets number of days in office higher for Admin staff than professional staff even though we all work on delivering the same service. Concern is that locally approved blended arrangements will mirror pandemic with Admin staff required in office while professional staff WFH with process adapted to facilitate only professional staff.

* DSP seem very flexible and progressive.

* We didn't have official flex time but flexible work arrangements applied in most areas, e.g. flexible start/finish times

* Perhaps bit more on communication from Management to staff on their thoughts, as in my own department staff have not been really consulted throughout the process.

* Just a couple of notes - NSSO kept Flexi clocking throughout WFH, it was just Flexi leave that went. Also, officers can currently have Flexi leave back if they choose to return to 5 days in the office - but that was a fairly recent piece of news, and I haven't heard any detail on that (does it have to be a permanent return to 5 days? If so, can they still apply for blended later on, or do they have to return to 5 for a certain amount or time or anything? - thinking of the work pattern change process here. If not a commitment to permanent 5 days, how much can you chop and change it?)

* Fully wfh but some of the questions re flexi didn’t give an option for wfh. Flexi accrual not allowed but can work between 8am- 7pm

* Which flexi pilot is your dept planning to trial a, flexible for all working patterns regardless or b, flexi acrual allowed only when attending the office

* Hope there won't be "family friendly " criteria as in my organisation worksharing has been restricted to staff with children under 18 and staff with medical reasons. Staff with elderly parents can only avail of carer's leave where relative requires care 24 hours a day. Blended working might allow caring without giving up job / losing income.

* Add Garda Civilian to the list (otherwise some will include under Dept of Justice).

* We don’t have any blended working policy, or official guidance on use of flexitime / flexileave apart from DPER policy on COVID-19. Flexi time always allowed when WFH, but no flexi leave.

* Many colleagues continue to WFH if not public facing and their management haven’t rattled any cages.

* ICT have a local policy to require 1 day onsite

* Question mark of possibility for management to move staff to customer facing roles on a whim removing remote working options as it happened to me.

* Maybe a question on who do we think is pushing for back to the office? Answer: the Sec Gen! Or something to capture the reality on the ground i.e. plenty of people in my dept seem essentially to be ignoring the edict, but I'm still on probation so don't feel that I can do that, much as I want to. Plenty of days I've gone in to an empty office, current situation is ridiculous IMO

* Our AP had all staff in office despite official policy and point blank refuses WFH. If they hear of someone WFH they demand to know who authorised it & expect the employee to either be in the office the following day or to report sick.

* Current policy is two days minimum in the office, but no maximum. I'm generally in the office 4 or 5 days a week, from personal preference.

* You might ask additional questions about provision of desk, chair or costs to cover these.

* The lack of engagement with AP Grade and down has been lacking in this process. The irony of the system where we all rattle out the set pieces at interview re engaging with stakeholders, communicate with stakeholders, lead and manage people, collaborate, bring people with you etc - why are we not applying those competencies in the most fundamental of policies impacting on civil service and public sector staff? I fear a policy will be brought in that both managers and staff will not agree with nor feel part of the decision and the result will be a disengaged workforce.

* I have been so angry how staff have been treated by management (Sec. Gen, HR etc.) in my Dept. and also the Forsa rep in relation to the return to the office. I worked at home for 2 years and myself or my colleagues were not consulted at all on the return to the office. WFH is life changing for me and improves my quality of life. I feel workers are just puppets at the moment to fill spaces in properties/real estate and there is no care for staff wellbeing or what the majority of staff want. Yes, some staff want to attend the office and that's their choice but for myself and many others the commute, taking away the option to live further away from the office, the absolute distraction working in open plan offices and forced return to the office is a complete negative. I am looking for other employment, preferably remote work now as I am completely disillusioned with the Department I work in.

Sin é. Some good comments/suggestions there, which I'll try to incorporate if I do this again.

That's really amazing work @TaurenDruid, fair play to you!

Is handing in notice not a little drastic as a first step? Would it not be an idea to either get the union involved, or all just contact HR and look for a transfer? CC'ing this guy's manager and outlining why you're all looking to move? Very hard to justify his position, given the circumstances, and more senior management might well tell him to cop on to himself.

Some managers are just petty. I have 6 staff working to me. We look out for eachother and ensure that we all get to WFH when we want. I have made in more than clear that as long as the work is getting done and they go to site when needs be that they can work where they want on the other days.

Circular on Haddington Road hours reversal issued: https://www.gov.ie/en/circular/46f72-circular-142022-revision-of-working-hours-in-the-civil-service/

In a nutshell: we're going to a 7-hour day.

Not, for some reason, the actual pre-HRA hours of 6:57. I imagine Fórsa will send a strongly worded email, and the land-grabbing PO or AP who decided this will get a promotion for "saving" all of those 15-minute chunks.

The core hours are weird and they retain the "we finish 15 minutes early on a Friday so ye can all rush to the train station to get a seat" and bizarre 1 hour 15 minute lunchbreak. And 9:12?!

This was interesting, though:

👍️

Partnership Committee, now there's a thing I haven't heard in 15 years or so.

Seriously, they still exist?

Totally unfair and displays an amazing lack of cop on tbh. Anybody who would implement such a thing should not be managing people.

As above.

LOL!

Zero consultation and zip from the union branch too.

👍️👍️

Gobshite. Should be stuck in a white walled room on his own and told to read reports for the rest of his days.

I brought home my fancy back chair, when we returned to the office regularly they eventually got me a second one for in the office. It's in their interest as the first chair saved them a fortune in sick leave. No desk provided and I haven't heard of anyone getting one in our Dept.

Hear hear 👍️👍️👍️ this is where all the airy-fairy management-speak BS hits reality, and so far it's not looking too pretty

👍️ and as for the union I couldn't even tell you who my Forsa rep is any more. The merger has, as predicted, been a complete disaster for everyone apart from the officials

My Dept has published the policy and had two townhalls with the SG which took questions on it post publication.

Pre publication both the Fórsa and AHCPS branches shared the draft policy with the membership and took feedback/observations back to the Dept.

Very strange that some others have had no Union interaction. If your branches aren't on the ball you should really aim to change the Committees representing you.

Do you mean for under current arrangements; or what's been proposed for published policies? I can pull this out all right but I'll have to do it mostly manually, I think, so it'll be this evening.

We all want to see where we are going to look for a move to😀!

😂!!!

Oh, we plan to appeal as soon as we're offered the one day WFH. I spoke to our AP about the appeals process yesterday and he explained that we have to appeal to him and then ultimately the PO if that fails.

To be honest, I've already mentally prepared myself to leave. Submitted 2 job applications today already ( both offering hybrid/WFH options). I simply don't want to work under anyone who mistrusts and undervalues his staff to such a degree. His loss.

Wait, when you said the manager do you mean the HEO?

I wouldn't be paying any attention to what a HEO says