Civil Service - Post Lockdown - Blended Working?

SomeSayKos · 01-02-2022 12:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564256#Comment_118564256

My impression was that it's going to be 3 in the office and 2 at home for the vast majority of Civil Servants but some Department's will offer more flexibility to staff.

salonfire · 01-02-2022 12:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564160#Comment_118564160

This proves my point pretty much. WFH must have been one of the weaknesses exploited to gain access to the HSE?

01-02-2022 12:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564255#Comment_118564255

This is a question I honestly don't know the answer to. The only information I've heard related specifically to the Civil Service.

Though the legislation being proposed on requesting Remote Working will apply to all across the board - public and private sectors.

James2020App · 01-02-2022 12:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564417#Comment_118564417

Not necessarily here is a long independent report into the incident (https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/publications/conti-cyber-attack-on-the-hse-full-report.pdf).

To quote the report "On 18 March 2021, the source of the cyber-attack12 originated from a malicious software infection on a HSE workstation . The Malware infection was the result of the user of the Patient Zero Workstation clicking and opening a malicious Microsoft Excel file that was attached to a phishing email sent to the user on 16 March 2021. " This could and likely would have been clicked into regardless if the employee was WFH or not WFH.

SomeSayKos · 01-02-2022 12:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564417#Comment_118564417

"Must have"..... Are you trolling?

brownbinman · 01-02-2022 12:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564272#Comment_118564272

I'd imagine it will be

Can only speak for my dept

gauchesnell · 01-02-2022 1:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564255#Comment_118564255

the remote working policy being developed for the civil service is expected to be rolled out to the public service also (as per Forsa) if thats what you mean.

Im public sector and we have a remote working policy already for covid but a long term policy is being developed aswell.

The proposed legislation from Leo is also happening.

Hotblack Desiato · 01-02-2022 1:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118561357#Comment_118561357

Our place has gone completely the other direction - no desktop PCs any more.

Sure there's a financial loss if one is left on a bus but with full encryption, no data breach risk. Working from home or not, any laptop needs to have strong full encryption mandated anyway.

TBH even desktop PCs should be fully encrypted, it's far from unknown that offices are broken into and IT equipment stolen - and Windows leaves traces of open documents all over your hard disk even if you never (and, you should not be able to) explicitly save them there.

Hotblack Desiato · 01-02-2022 1:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118562705#Comment_118562705

You mustn't have a mortgage or health insurance then, because both of these get tax relief at source i.e. they need to have your PPSN.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118563502#Comment_118563502

This is proof that you quite simply haven't a clue what you're going on about.

You can't ever assume that the home wifi, or cafe wifi, or often in our case some hotel or conference room wifi in some far-flung country, is secure. In fact you assume it is NOT secure. Look up what a VPN is.

SouthWesterly · 01-02-2022 2:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564256#Comment_118564256

Busses aren't a threat to us here as everyone in the building drives to work.

BhoyRayzor · 01-02-2022 9:02pm

Office planning/redesign seems to still be taking into account social distancing and the 2 metre rule. That should limit full attendance being possible and 2 days max in the office hopefully.

Burgo · 03-02-2022 2:40pm

We have gotten word that we shall be returning to the office 1 day a week for the next two weeks and two days after that. HR going on about the importance of meeting colleagues again and for teams to meet in person. Backwards as always.

Avenger2020 · 03-02-2022 9:08pm

Same here. I’m absolutely sickened by it. Physically. Covid is still around and family member going through chemotherapy. I have to find shared accommodation as Im too far away from train station to get into the office in time in the morning due to lack of bus services. 😭 with an unvaccinated in the family I am worried. For one day is it worth it? I think I might just not bother going in. Let them deal with me. The first week anyway. (I work more hours a home even covering for staff above my grade. And then if we all don’t bother going in it would be even better they can’t sack us all!)

Vologda69 · 04-02-2022 11:43pm

Working at home full time. No pressure from DSP to return to office. And also doing overtime.

billyhead · 05-02-2022 12:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118584379#Comment_118584379

I presume all Intreo staff are back in the Office?

Gusser09 · 05-02-2022 12:24am

Ffs people being offered 1 or 2 days a week and the rest at home and they are still giving out. Prove that you can make the hybrid model of 2 days a week work, be flexible or else face going back the 5 days a week. Unreal.

Vologda69 · 05-02-2022 1:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118584677#Comment_118584677

Counter staff only

TaurenDruid · 05-02-2022 9:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118584712#Comment_118584712

We've proved we can can make the WFH and the hybrid models work for 2 years already.

BOHSBOHS · 05-02-2022 9:45am

D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118584712#Comment_118584712

Dont think anyone has been offered any firm wfh.

All dept notices ive seen so far have been about gradual return to work with at least 3 of 5 days in the office already scheduled with the depts being able to chopchange which days and depts can call you in the other days for team meetings/other bullshit if required. The stone age depts such as agriculture ,education etc will prob have staff in 5 days before anything isn"offered"

at least revenue and dsp dont seem to have back to office announced yet

martysparty · 05-02-2022 10:42am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118585318#Comment_118585318

Yes already proven in our dept as well, in my opinion they should let people decide what they want to do (as long as they are doing the work they are supposed to). If you want to go back to the office one,two,three, four or five days a week, great then do that. If you would rather work from home then do that. Not sure what the problem is with that.

exitstageleft · 05-02-2022 11:04am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118585453#Comment_118585453

This makes a lot of sense. From this thread alone, it's clear that some people strongly favour maximizing work from home while others can't wait to get back in the office.

Why not simply give people a choice?

Avenger2020 · 06-02-2022 7:22pm

Exitstageleft,

it is the Civil and Public Service, it will start with 1 or 2 days in the Office then on to 3 in March. That is what has been announced officially in my Dept. No doubt it will reach 4 or 5 days towards the end of the year. Society reproduces itself in the absence of any strong public action.

Senior Management (AP and above) are on comfortable salaries to commute to comfortably sit and micromanage staff with their little finger.

Also. WFH would give equal opportunity to the population the handle more home duties and childcare. Threatening in the longterm the rich white boys at the top who can commute etc without such worries.

Avenger2020 · 06-02-2022 10:28pm

For young people starting out and with high inflation and carbon taxation coming in the next few months, think about not taking the booster vaccine. These booster vaccines should be given to third world countries first anyway. At most we would get a heavy cold given the Government’s recent announcement of Omicron being very weak. Mother Nature is a leftest and can renew herself. Human nature is to destroy (emissions from increased traffic again) and create inequality (mothers and single-parent families dependent on WFH in cases of school future lockdowns etc).

Hotblack Desiato · 06-02-2022 11:41pm

Yeah we don't need any of that anti-vaxx craziness on this thread, thanks.

We in the department of an Tanaiste are at 1 day a week increasing to 2. I don't know what's happening after that but jesus christ even the one day is so pointless and soul destroying. I was in last Friday for the first time since about 3 days in October, totally fcuking pointless and I would have got more done at home tbh.

@BOHSBOHS you mentioned "stone age departments", as a parent and a civil servant I'd love to know wtf is going on in Dept Ed, their policies and practices are bizarrely out of line with 21st century Irish society, is there a management hierarchy desperately clinging to the past or what?!?

TaurenDruid · 07-02-2022 12:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592488#Comment_118592488

Feck off with the anti-vaxx shite, please. The Conspiracy Theory forum has plenty of threads there you can join, rather than insulting the memory of the 92 people who died from COVID in the last week.

Absolute Zero · 07-02-2022 12:54pm

He can take the racist shite out as well.

SouthWesterly · 07-02-2022 10:12pm

Saw an email today to say we're going to a day a week from end of the month.

Absolutely pointless considering they've told us how great we were doing at home the past 2 years.

People are travelling up to 60km each way for this exercise

gmisk · 07-02-2022 10:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591485#Comment_118591485

You think all senior managers are pushing to go back into the office? They aren't...by your logic....I am one of them...any manager I know at same level feels the same. I have a big commute as well. We have worked (ICT in PS) for two years remotely with no issues, some staff recruited during lockdown. I will be in the office anytime my team are. I do not micromanage, I am too busy for that!

gmisk · 07-02-2022 10:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118592931#Comment_118592931

I might have worked in the department of education....can confirm....seriously out dated, with a bizarre hierarchy of blind deference to higher grades.

Rasher_Sausage · 07-02-2022 10:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575689#Comment_118575689

Yeah same in my place. However I can't make our designated day this week, but i have been told I must go in at least one day this week as it is mandatory, so I will be there on Friday on my own in the office!! Whats the bleedin point???

Civil Service - Post Lockdown - Blended Working?

Comments