Civil servants working for the Flemish government must spend 50 per cent of their working hours in the office, the Flemish government has decided on the basis of a proposal put forward by the Flemish minister for administrative affairs, Hilde Crevits (Flemish Christian democrat CD&V). Minister Crevits is following a trend set by private sector companies at home and abroad that are all scaling back their working-from-home policies. According to the ACV public services trade union, the decision will lead to ‘chaos and uncertainty’ in the workplace.
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Flemish government: "Civil servants need to be in the office 50% of the time"
Colin Clapson
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No traffic jams on the way to work, meetings via Teams and a better work-life balance. Since the coronavirus pandemic, working from home has become firmly established in the business world across the globe. But recently, more and more companies have been scaling back remote working and imposing stricter rules.
‘Remote working is here to stay, and we want to embed it structurally by creating clarity,’ says Minister Crevits. ‘Within the Flemish government’s departments, we are now seeing variations in the number of days people come into the office.’
To harmonise matters the Flemish government is now imposing a basic rule of a maximum of 50 per cent remote working per month for all entities, councils and institutions of the Flemish government. ‘This means that employees are expected to be in the office at least two to three days a week.’
According to the Flemish minister for administrative affairs, Hilde Crevits, the Flemish government’s working from home policy (which dates from 2021) is also due for a review. The rules currently vary greatly and depend on the team or entity in which a civil servant works.
‘A good balance is important’
The key principle remains the provision of a high-quality and accessible service, says Crevits. Depending on the nature of the service, the duties of a particular department, or family, medical or exceptional circumstances, exceptions may be made in consultation with the line manager. Flexible working hours also remain possible in consultation with the employer.
‘I think it’s particularly important to strike a good balance. Remote working offers many advantages, but we sometimes seem to forget that going to work offers them too: social cohesion within your team and a connection with your colleagues and employer are at least as important.’
‘Chaos and uncertainty’
Minister Crevits’ decision has sparked incomprehension at public services trade union ACV. "The minister is deciding this unilaterally, without any form of consultation or thorough evaluation,” it argues. “This is not exactly a model of sound governance."
“This is a unilateral plan from the minister," notes ACV’s Ilse Remy. “The minister’s statement to the press is causing chaos and uncertainty in the workplace. The autonomy and responsibility of senior civil servants are also being completely undermined.”