United Kingdom Public Servants at the Department for Education have described being demoralised and let down by instructions to spend four days a week in the office.
The Public Servants also used an all-staff teams call to complain about what they saw as a failure by top officials to defend them from political attack.
Officers on the call implored the Department’s leaders to rethink guidance which states that an 80:20 hybrid working arrangements should be the norm.
The guidance states there is flexibility for staff to request a 60:40 split instead, subject to their line manager’s approval, and for the right to work less time in the office in exceptional circumstances.
Permanent Secretary at the Department, Susan Acland-Hood acknowledged staff might find it “hard to believe” that the drive to increase their office-working hours was to increase productivity and collaboration, and not in response to political pressure.
The strength of feeling on the work-from-home row was reflected in the number of officers who demanded an explanation for the change.
A submission, signed by more than 1,100 officers asked why the Department was demanding its staff spend more time in the office than other Departments, including the Cabinet Office.
“Has the senior leadership acted hastily and in poor judgement by forcing colleagues to return to the office and not defending them from unfounded attacks from media and Ministers?” the submission asked.
In response, Ms Acland-Hood (pictured) said every Ministry was “now starting to push quite a lot harder” for staff to return to the office some of the time “and to make it feel quite a lot less optional”.
She acknowledged that “we’re asking a little bit more than many Departments”, although she expected it to be common for people to opt to reduce their time in the office to 60 per cent.
Ms Acland-Hood said that after taking a much more flexible approach to hybrid working a few months ago, several Departments had found there were too few people in their buildings at any one time to deliver the benefits of collaboration that office working provided
The Department’s new guidance comes after Minister for Government Efficiency, Jacob Rees-Mogg said Public Servants who had worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic should all make a “rapid return” to the office.
London, 8 May 2022
