The Irish Government wants greater flexibility in the Public Service, with increased opening hours for Agencies dealing with the public and an end to the automatic right for staff to have single-occupancy offices.
An action plan for implementation by the end of next year, which has been drawn up by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, also includes the expansion of existing arrangements to allow staff to move between different parts of the wider Public Service.
The reforms, which cover more than 40,000 staff across the public sector, form part of the new Public Service pay agreement.
The agreement also calls for greater levels of automation and digital innovation.
This would include the introduction of digital signatures in the Public Appointment Service, the Property Registration Authority, the Department of Transport and the Department of Housing and Local Government.
The Department’s plan calls for the introduction of new or revised flexible working arrangements “including agreement on blended working policies and associated changes to work practices”.
It seeks “optimising office floor plates through no automatic right to single-occupancy office for any grade while having due regard for the effectiveness of blended working”.
The Department said the new reforms may involve “co-location across organisations when required”.
The action plan is the first to be published under the provisions of the Public Service Agreement, similar plans in other areas are expected to follow.
Dublin, 21 May 2021
