Civil Service - Post Lockdown - Blended Working?

I assume by @AndrewJRenko's refusal to answer this means he is not getting reimbursed for his commuting costs. In fact, I'd say he did not even ask for his years of commuting expenses to be reimbursed. So for the past year, he has been posting like the Internet hard man stating the employer should cover the employee costs WFH. But of course in real life, he will not ask his own costs of getting to work be covered.

Oh, so you were happy enough to pay your costs of getting to work. Then those employees who are making substantial savings in not commuting can afford to pay for the extra light and heat.

That way both the employees and the employer can benefit if wfh becomes the normal.

I still find it strange that you are not as persistent in real life that your employer pay your commuting costs.

What did they say when you persistently asked them to cover your wfh costs?

You've identified what I can see will be the biggest sticking point in forming a CS wide policy (due Q1 2022) and I can understand why, in fairness.

Depending on what department/office someone finds themselves assigned too could really impact on someone's opportunity to WFH or not. We already know that some locations are much less flexible then others, less work-sharing friendly, staff can't get SWYS approved, and so on. In those places, WFH will be the same. That will trickle down eventually to the numbers of staff who will want to transfer from, or take up appointments / transfers to, these less flexible departments. (Particularly amongst new recruits or current staff awaiting mobility for whom WFH is a consideration).

In my own Department, (which is very flexi / WS / SWYS / WFH friendly) we've been asked to go back in 1 day a week from the 27th. WFO days will be strictly managed so only one section or team will be in at the same time, which will allow the staff to distance themselves widely over the open plan spaces. We already have department issued laptops and no one will have an assigned desk going forward (we've already been told that). Single occupancy offices will also no longer be guaranteed (which is going to piss some people off big time!)

Having said that, I still believe a full unrestricted 5 day return to offices won't happen until sometime next year - not with the unavoidable surge we all know is going to happen arrives this winter.

If anything, I can see an announcement at the end Sept/Oct maybe it's not such a good idea after all. (But TPTB have to be seen to be trying).

You don't give a toss about the employee's out of pocket WFH costs. If you were, you'd be calling for the paltry tax reliefs from Revenue to be vastly improved. Why are you not calling for the expenses to be reclaimable (in full, with receipts) through the tax system? Worried that the costs of this would have an impact on your own potential earnings in future?

What's wrong with business making a profit and making savings? Are you just as opposed to other measures helping business such as reductions in insurance claims? Business owners have a legal responsibility to ensure their business is run in a sustainable way. Making profits is what makes a business viable. Its speaks volume of our civil servants to see some are so anti-business.

So despite all your blow for the past year+ about having to pay WFH costs, you did not even ask to have yours reimbursed!! For the past 18 months, you subserviently paid your own WFH costs and for the years before that you paid all your own commuting costs. Seems you're not quite as persistent and bullish in real life as your posts here demanding this and demanding that suggest.

You're right. It's not my place to speculate what discussions you had regarding WFH costs with your employer.

I do know one thing though, not one cent was given to you to by your employer.

We've been told that return to work and the blended working policy are two seperate issues, and the return to work plan shouldn't be taken as an indication of what the blended working policy will be.

In my Dept we still use the flexi clock, we clock in and out as normal, (we never stopped) so our working hours are recorded. But we can't build up hours towards flexi leave or take flexi leave. Also told this is to remain in place until the new blended working policy is decided, including days in the office.