Civil service 60% mandate

[meagert]

What have your managers said to you? Do you think your department/SCS/line manager will be strict on this? Or do you think it'll be like the last time they tried a departmental push where it was a bit ad hoc?!

Possibly too soon to tell, our SCS haven't said very much yet and will "be in touch soon".

It was doable before COVID to have the majority of staff in office for the majority of the time, but it was also government policy prior to COVID to move to hybrid working with the closing & sale of government buildings, regional hubs and technology to enable home working

Subsequently the civil service have been a scapegoat of ‘lazy home workers’, the passport office in particular were scapegoated for the percentage WFH after COVID but without mentioning the passport office buildings that had been sold off

Return to work is not a major hardship for the majority, but it conflicts with government policy regarding buildings and is harder for types of worker - though the terms stated allow for the various working patterns and office capacity

This is also going to mess things up for women married to civil servants - I was able to go back to work full time as my DH could take his lunch break late and do the afternoon school run on the two days I go into the office, and because there is no commuting time to factor in, he can start and finish early and take the DC to after school activities once a week. Not sure what we are going to do now tbh as this will totally mess up our finely balanced routine that has allowed me to catch up on my career.

@DownRd Yes, absolutely.

Although in our specific case, it will be DH who will have to make the career changes...because even though he's more senior than my private sector equivalence, I earn more. Because people don't work in the CS for the cash!!!

Anyway, the Fail is already reporting people are being told to ignore it due to lack of desks. Now there's a surprise.

@DownRd he'll still be able to WFH 2 days a week as minimum under this nonsense, so that part will be covered for you. In reality, I think we should all be ignoring this until orders are given as SMT really haven't the time to orchestrate this or space to have everyone into really any dept full time any more.

I've been off for a long weekend and was back today (WFH) 😀 and from conversations I have had this has really set the hares running!

I expected everyone to ignore it!

Ironically our office was the quietest I've seen it in months today, not one SCS in sight either. I suppose it was going to go one way or the other...

Anyone's dept done an update? My organisation has said 1 day a week immediately (technically our current minimum requirement) "to start".

Panic stations tonight, our managers have been told if anyone has a case to not do three days a week to submit a form before close of play today - this message came out at 3pm . I requested to see the form so I could fill one in but was told no point as my reason (elderly parents needing me both ends of the day) would unlikely be considered. Wanted to at least get a form in so it can be seen objected in the first place. Has anyone else had any updates? Now really panicking, I run around like a blue arsed fly as it is and it’s so much easier on my wfh days as I can work from my parents and just be there in the background to support.

Our director has asked everyone to start doing 3 days ASAP, appreciating that some of us will need longer to put things into place to make it work.

I work part time, so currently only go in 1 day. To go in another day, as I will need to under this new policy, I'll need childcare that day, which isn't easy to find. Wraparound at school finishes before I get home, and DH can't easily pick them up an extra day.

Do you think it's worth applying for flexible working? I have no special circumstances relating to the kids i.e. no special needs, they're just primary age kids. But my commute is an hour and a half, so it's tricky.

Our new boss came into our team meeting - via Teams - this week and said we're business as usual until we hear otherwise. If you read the announcement from the Perm Sec, she basically says the same. Unfortunate that some depts are already panicking.

If you're not in a TU, it may be a good time to join one for the longer term....

I’ve started a new temp contract for a few months in central government (London) and the DDs are telling people to ignore it or not worth due to lack of desks. One department I worked for over the summer (I did say here) the lease came to an end or they sold the building (1 Victoria Street), but all the employees were now crammed into offices in Whitehall and as well as that some workers who usually just commuted to Victoria were irritated because they had to commute further, only up the road but when you have trains to catch it can make a difference.

My new colleague told me she’d joined the department from a private company over lockdown and had been there a year and obviously likes the flexibility with flexi hours, WFH/hybrid etc, if that is reduced and more pressure is put on workers to be present then people like her will think about leaving central and local government.

Also compare and contrast to local government offices to me where admin staff fully WFH, some staff go into the office. There’s no pressure at all for the admin staff to go into the office and the person I know doesn’t think it’ll change. If anything, when people do go into the town/city centre, Bromley for whoever is interested, two new cafes have opened recently, Black Sheep Coffee and an artisan bakery/cafe in the Glades shopping centre, and they and all the other cafes always seem busy whenever I go there, including other shops, like M&S, Primark, Boots, TK Maxx, Waitrose, Zara etc. The shops that have closed there recently are Decathlon and an IKEA sort of design place where you went to design a kitchen etc rather than a proper huge IKEA with the warehouse.

Perfect case for a grievance, even better if you can document being told not to bother - but otherwise you can just quote it

Some management are too stupid to realise that telling you not to bother ‘because it will be rejected’ are just building a case to show that it’s likely that no due consideration was made

See the letter quoted by @SoddingWeddings which acknowledges working patterns and caring responsibilities, your department ought to also have a managers guide that would/should have been published at the same time

These are government and departmental policies on working patterns. There’s no time limit

This is outrageous and shows a total ignorance of the law on flexible working, which puts the onus on employers to have a good reason (from a specified list) to turn down a flexible working request. Suggest you go to HR for proper advice.

The panic stations, no notice approach is also clearly going to be discriminatory in various ways.

It’s just terrible management.

We had full guidance and FAQs published on Thursday. The FAQs took a very hard line. They are very clear that considerations for a reasonable adjustment should not be given for childcare or distance from the office, eventhough they have willingly recently recruited people that live in Northern Ireland!

Can anyone advise a suitable tu for me to join please. I’m AO MOD

@FridayForever my suggestion would be to apply to work a shorter day in the office and make up the time on a WFH day rather than apply to WFH that day - just think that's more likely to be accepted

Meant to say we've been told 20% by Jan and 40% by April. Not going to 60% due to office capacity which is something but my department have been singing from the rafters about our amazing flexible working policy based on trust. They recently said it allowed them to recruit people from all over the UK which has hugely helped our capability (quite a technical area and struggled to atteact before). Now these new recruits are all likely going to have to quit. Levelling up?!

Our department seems to be running an extensive consultation exercise before anything happens. But it was 2 departments merged over the pandemic and the building is absolutely creaking so there are some big facilities concerns. Plus we already have a second site a long way away. Isn't there a PUS whatsapp group where they can all agree a consistent approach?

I expect for AOs it’s still PCS
https://www.pcs.org.uk/get-involved/why-join-pcs#:~:text=PCS%20is%20the%20largest%20trade,up%20by%20our%20legal%20team.

(There is a PCS dial in tomorrow which will discuss the subject)

Prospect for specialists
https://prospect.org.uk/defence/

UNITE covered our Industrial grades, but I don’t know if they are exclusively for industrials
https://www.unitetheunion.org/why-join

GMB,
https://www.gmb.org.uk/about

FDA for SCS etc
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FDA_(trade_union)#:~:text=Its%20over%2019%2C000%20members%20include,servants%2C%20accountants%20and%20National%20Health

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5bf3cd7340f0b607875e2856/04316.pdf

Thank you, will get my arse in gear with this as have been meaning to join one for ages

FDA union is HEO and above.

https://www.fda.org.uk/home/Aboutus/about-us-fda.aspx

https://www.fda.org.uk/Keystone/Home-Keystone.aspx

Report on hybrid working

https://www.fda.org.uk/home/Newsandmedia/Features/Is-hybrid-working.aspx

Pay

https://www.fda.org.uk/home/Newsandmedia/Features/Our-breakthrough-on-pay-and-why-the-whole-civil-service-pay-system-must-be-rebuilt.aspx

I had an interview with similar department, recruiting all over the UK. I don't live near their hubs, but WFH was an option. Didn't get it and was disappointed at the time. It's unfair on everyone there, they've recruited on one set of rules and now are having to impose another, not through their choice.

This is also a nightmare for parents, carers and anyone with disabilities or health conditions, those who have long and difficult commutes or are struggling with the cost of living without adding extra commuting costs. WFH opens up work to more people. I was thinking of upping my hours when my kids are slightly older, this means I won't be able to due to health/childcare constraints.

I'm with another department now and we've been told spring 2024. First thought was what else happens in spring 2024 🤔. So possiblity that this will not be the hot topic by then.

I’ve already seen a couple of women in various parenting groups saying they’re looking for new jobs now. It’s such a short sighted policy.
And if a particular office has recruited people from miles away as they were working from home (someone mentioned N Ireland) then they can hardly mandate that everyone goes in 60%?

@User65412 I see we work for the same organisation. Those FAQs were something else.

@fashionqueen1183 our contracts say hybrid working subject to business needs. It feels like a hybrid contract is worthless if it means office attendance can be mandated at any time. Like you say, hopefully it'll blow over by spring.
@GarlandaChynoweth
I don't know where they came from but yeah, they shocked me! Sounds like they were written by someone that hates people that WFH!