Govt workers working hybrid or remotely depends on whether they can be monitored, says PSC
A recent study exploring whether public servants can keep working from home, as they did during COVID-19, ran into some trouble when it came to monitoring them.
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CAPE TOWN - Some public servants want government to mull over a permanent work-from-home solution as departments take stock of the COVID-19 pandemic recovery.
Strict regulations during the 2020 lockdown forced companies to introduce hybrid workspaces in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. This included companies in the private sector and government departments.
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The Public Service Commission (PSC) said it found that the public sector didn’t have the financial muscle, resources, and legislature to sustain the hybrid work model, impacting on service delivery.
Post the pandemic, PSC Commissioner Anele Gxoyiya says a study was recently done to decide if there is room for government employees to continue working from home.
“The study found that existing primary legislation and policies are silent on the work-from-home or hybrid work arrangements, and this gap was addressed through the passing and revision of interim regulations, directions, and guidelines.”
Gxoyiya said the difficulty in monitoring employees working remotely is among hurdles for the public sector’s plans to implement the hybrid model.
“In some instances, you would meet people who are said to be working from home, and then you’d see them gallivanting at the malls, or you would see them driving around in town, because there are no clear monitoring mechanisms because of that.”