The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, , has tasked departments
across government with ensuring their offices can return quickly
to full occupancy following the lifting of work from home
restrictions in England.
The Civil Service will lead the way in a return to office
working, with Ministers working with their Permanent Secretaries
and departments to put in place measures to monitor office use
and get people back to normal, pre-pandemic arrangements, with
clear Ministerial expectations put in place.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said:
Now we are learning to live with COVID and have lifted Plan B
measures, we need to move away from a reliance on video meetings
and get back to the benefits of face-to-face, collaborative
working.
I’m grateful to the Civil Service for managing the challenges of
the last two years. It is important that we now see the maximum
use of our office space being made from next week, as we build a
strong recovery after the disruption of the pandemic.
The Civil Service has played a leading role in helping the
country tackle the pandemic, with many front-line workers and
office staff remaining in their places of work throughout the
pandemic and many more working from home.
Following the removal of Plan B measures, it is however vital
that more staff return to the office so they can once again
benefit from collaborative working in their public service
delivery – this is particularly important for the learning and
development of new members of staff, who have joined the Civil
Service during the pandemic.
The Minister’s call for government departments to enable a return
to full capacity has been reiterated by the Cabinet Office’s
Permanent Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the Civil
Service, Alex Chisholm, who has written to leaders across
Whitehall asking them to support a significant and swift return
of staff to the workplace.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will also raise the
issue at Cabinet next week, where he is expected to urge
Ministers to make sure their offices are working at full capacity
at the earliest opportunity.
It is expected that Civil Servants and other office workers
returning to the office will bring economic benefits for
businesses across the country, with sandwich shops and the
hospitality sector due to see a dramatic increase in footfall.
To allow the transition back to office working, measures have
been put in place in government buildings to reassure staff.
These include increased ventilation and improved cleaning
routines. Department leaders will also ensure all safety guidance
is followed at all times.
There is no government requirement or recommendation for
employers to limit capacity in the workplace.
