Civil Service - Post Lockdown - Blended Working?

1.5 is hardly a big engine and there are many very economical engines of this size available. If you did travel for work you'd likely "know all the tricks" e.g. don't buy a 1.4 diesel if you can get a 1.6 diesel for the same price.

Point taken about the thresholds - but people will manoeuvre themselves into work that maximises their travel based on these. Once they hit the upper threshold where the rate drops, they suddenly stop wanting to drive long distance to short meetings and their focus shifts to 10 hour or overnight subs. AFAIK there is no limit on the number of these and they are obviously per diem.

The point stands - business travel is an abused perk and as a result, resistance to conducting meetings online is likely with disingenuous reasons about them being "less effective" likely. When the real reason is, staff will miss getting away from the office and scoffing free scones and croissants while claiming generous mileage and subs. You can't eat croissants through a screen.

Totally agree. I don't miss the trip to Dublin Airport after work on a Monday to fly to Brussels, get there at 11pm,straight to bed, up at 7 for a day of meetings, straight to the airport, driving 90 minutes home to get to bed at 1.30am and up at 7.30 next morning to get to the office.

Not sure of the relevance of the last few posts - I wasn't talking about foreign travel or the drudgery of airports. An overnight sub of ~140 euro can be claimed if you travel 100 km from your normal place of work. Minus 15 euro if you get your din dins handed to you. A trip from Dublin to Tullamore for a two day conference would be overnight territory. It's not clear to me if two days = one overnight or two.

People are selfish and suit themselves. Two day conference in Tullamore that starts at 10 am, they're all over it. Foreign travel that means being in the airport at 5 am, not so much and they will be maneouvring

There are events, meetings, workshops, working groups happening around the country, most of the time. Well there were, pre pandemic. There will be plenty of people gagging to fire up their 1.6 diesel Golf and get back to this "circuit". Vested interests i.e. hotels will also want this. The pandemic has proven that much of this travel is unnecessary.

Also, this could well tie in to dinosaurs ordering people back to the office. Senior staff don't want to embrace remote working/technology as it may result in questions being raised about the conference/meeting circuit. So junior staff are ordered back to the office, they "hold the fort" and never travel to meetings or conferences as these are hogged by those in power.

I admit the first few times I had to attend seminars outside of Dublin. it was a case of "Wooo, quids in!" Then you factor in the time spent, the boredom of a couple of hours each way on the M7 and the M50, the early start and late finish, the awkwardness of making small talk over lunch with people you're unlikely to ever meet again, the paperwork (do you still have to post on your M50 toll receipt and parking receipt?), and then quickly work out it's just not worth it. Or, at least, most people do. I'm reminded of one guy I used to know of based in the midlands, of whom it was said they'd attend the opening of an envelope, as long as it was in Dublin. But he was very much in the minority.

Same with the foreign travel. COVID and the subsequent introduction of Zoom was a revelation for the people condemned to Brussels red-eye flights and an overnight in a chain hotel. While there absolutely are benefits to face-to-face meetings, especially if you're meeting the same people, Brussels/EU travel will never be to the same extent again, now people know it's possible to work as effectively without them.

Anyone have any updates on the future of remote working? I am back Thursday this week. Need to bring my gear from home into the office to do the same thing I am doing from home but without the comfort of working from my own house.

We're back a day a week next month.

All new equipment at our desks and we can leave the laptops and monitors at home.

Moving to 2 days by end of March.

Absolutely pointless considering they've spent the last 2 years saying productivity is up. Back to a 70km plus round trip for most people in my section.

I see the change/end to the Covid roster system for Gardaí has been postponed amid fear of industrial action, as it proved very popular with it's members. Improved work/life balance etc..

I just don't get why there's absolutely zero resistance in the civil service to the order to return full time to the office.

Does anyone want flexitime back? I certainly don't miss being beholden to the clock.

Do you miss the potential 18 extra days leave? The ability to leave 20 minutes early the odd day so you can get the early bus or train - and a seat? The ability to work late to get something over the line and get something back for it?

agree - 2 days is ok with me (Ive done it already since march 2020) but for me 3 days in the office might as well be 5. Lost all benefits of remote working when doing 3.

Someone else asked about flexi - for me not I dont need it or want it if remote working/blended option. We were told previously (public sector) that flexi time isnt an option going forward if remote/blended working continues and it hasnt returned even for those who opt to go back to the office fully.

Everything still unclear for us.

I'd agree entirely. 3 days in the office seems to be all the talk. But why? After working from home successfully for two years why do we need to be in the office most of the time?

It's such a massive issue for so many of us. Life improving changes. Yet we seem to have no voice in it at all.

If it requires a full day then it's either annual leave or sick leave. Takes me 5 hours to get to the hospital. Not like being in Dublin where a few hours can cover you.