Boris Johnson had a meeting last night with Whitehall over the unwillingness of civil servants return to their desks.
The Prime Minister is pushing for an end to the working-from-home culture – putting him on a collision course with senior officials, who are planning to keep a large number of their staff working from home permanently, The Mail on Sunday has learned.
Government sources have told this newspaper that the plan is for a 60:40 split between home and office working – with most based at home.
Boris Johnson (pictured) met last night to discuss the Whitehall blob’s reluctance for civil servants returning to their desks.
According to an insider, “There is a lot of civil servants that have purchased nice homes in the country under lockdown. They are hoping they won’t be forced into office.”
But Mr Johnson’s Cabinet Office ‘enforcer’ Steve Barclay has written to Permanent Secretaries – the most senior officials in each department – telling them that the end of ‘Plan B’ Covid regulations now means ‘every desk should be filled’.
He asked them to also provide numbers on the staff returning to Whitehall before the week ends, in order to be able to make a report to the Prime Minister.
Barclay stated that it was important for Government Departments to lead in getting people back into the office and helping the economy recover to its full potential.
With immediate effect, the rapid return of public servants back to their jobs will be made. Although the Civil Service has risen to the occasion, it is now that we all have to accept Covid.
From early next month, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will make it mandatory for all staff to be in the office – but only three days a week.
A third Whitehall major department will make only two days per week mandatory, and another one will let staff work from home for two weeks.
Ghost town: The Westminster Bridge was left abandoned last week as civil servants stayed home.
Some departments may be justified in allowing large numbers of people to work remotely because there is not enough desk space for everyone.
As Mr Johnson tries to withstand attempts by his MPs to remove Johnson from office for the ‘Partygate row’, the pressure on civil servants is mounting. He also hopes to draw attention of voters to the UK’s successes in dealing with Omicron surges in Covid cases.
Last night, MPs and business leaders blasted Whitehall for refusing to go back to work while others have to commute.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith was the ex-leader of the Conservative Party. He stated that this signal is sent to the rest the country as “do what we say, and not as we do”.
Because they first had “flexitime”, then lockdown and now, they think they can all work remotely and use their Peloton bikes. Flexitime is fine to some extent, but it’s flexi-holiday.
They claim that they have not enough desks. Put a desk in. Take control. The office is your place of business. There is a lot you need to accomplish, and there are many urgent tasks. The Civil Service lacks leadership.
“There were once big beasts. These beasts seem to be so determined on meeting each other. [diversity]They seem to be promoting people based on their appearance and gender.
“There are many very talented people in the Civil Service, but they get frustrated that they never get selected because they don’t meet all requirements. The Civil Service has been deemed a comfortable club for non-entities.
Luke Johnson, an entrepreneur who was also the former chairman of Pizza Express, stated that Whitehall’s home-based culture had caused a ‘catastrophe’.
He stated, “How do I motivate, encourage, and train people if they are all far from me?” Zoom cannot be substituted. Zoom is not a substitute.
“If money is being taken from other people, like it has always been in the public sector. Do they really care enough?
The Cabinet Ministers will be negotiating with senior officers over their reluctances to work again. Priti Patel, Home Secretary, would prefer an office-to home ratio of 90/10.
In addition to Mr Barclay the Cabinet Office Minister, Kwasi Kwarteng (Business Secretary) and Ben Wallace, Defence Secretary are understood to be “in campaigning mode” to eradicate working from home culture.
Mr Johnson’s Cabinet Office ‘enforcer’ Steve Barclay (pictured) has written to Permanent Secretaries – the most senior officials in each department – telling them that the end of ‘Plan B’ Covid regulations now means ‘every desk should be filled’
Insiders claim that some officials purchased houses in Cornwall, the Cotswolds and other places ‘gambling’ to ensure they never have to return home to office.
The Mail on Sunday published in October the argument of Cabinet Ministers that British civil servants, who were working at home but unable to access vital security documents, had put them at the mercy and risk of Taliban forces in Afghanistan.
Sources within the Government stated that civil servants should return to work. There is business of government that needs to be done – and that needs to be done from the office.
“The productivity rates for working-from home civil servants is appalling.”
Alex Chisholm (Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office) wrote on Friday to trade unions to inform them that “Ministers expect the return to civil service workplaces to be operationalised in the coming week.”
He called for collaboration to ensure that colleagues in the Civil Service were supported as they move forward.
It’s a great job if it is possible! As Boris urges the nation to get back to the office it’s revealed that 60 civil service jobs are advertised with salaries of up to £48,000… and all of them promise that the successful applicant will be able to WFH
Georgia Edkins, Natasha Livingstone and the Mail on Sunday
The Civil Service continues to advertise ‘work from Home’ opportunities in flagrant disregard of any recent Covid rule updates.
There are 59 government jobs that have been recently listed as having ‘homeworking’, even though Ministers insisted that employees should go back to work.
Among the roles advertised is a senior policy adviser in the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), with a salary of around £38,000 – almost 20 per cent higher than the average wage in Britain.
The winning candidate will work under Permanent Secretary Sarah Healey. She was lastly criticized for boasting that she rides her Peloton bike rather than sitting at her desk.
Only 63 of the total 2000 employees showed up at the Education Department Headquarters.
The Home Office has posted a job listing for an operation research analyst. It describes the role as being at the center of the Government’s agenda and says that it can be done in a flexible work environment.
The Ministry of Defence is offering a £40,000 job, which promises ‘alternative working practices such as working from home’.
And the crisis-hit DVLA, which has been lambasted for its slow delivery of HGV licences during the pandemic, is advertising for seven new ‘work from home’ positions, with one offering a salary of around £48,000.
The adverts read: ‘DVLA supports flexible working… We are working towards introducing a hybrid model, under which working arrangements will be driven by the requirements of your role in agreement with your line manager.’
Staff have staged strikes against the agency in protest of the lack of Covid safety measures.
Others that offer home-working opportunities include those with the Animal Plant and Health Agency and HMRC.
Jim Harra (HMRC chief executive) stated that last year he was focused to make ‘the introduction and success of mixed office/home working’ a reality.
Our research is a result of an investigation yesterday by the Daily Mail, our sister newspaper. It found that only 3% of Government department staff are at their desks.
Only 63 of the 2,000 employees were present at Headquarters Education Department, while only 142 were available at Business Department.
Numerous Ministries will push for a hybrid approach to working. One department staff received an email asking them to talk with their manager about their ability and willingness to return the office and to complete “an individual risk assessment.”
According to the department, it stated that it had set a goal for a 40% attendance rate in offices but this was not mandatory and only being encouraged.
Employees will need to be present at the office on a minimum of one day per week “if possible”, but they must reserve a desk online before coming.
Yesterday night, the union leaders who were agitating claimed it didn’t make sense for Whitehall staff members to be required to return to office after having shown that they are capable of working from their own bedrooms or kitchens.
According to the FDA union representing senior civil servants and other employees, there has been a significant shift in work.
Its general secretary, Dave Penman, accused Ministers of engaging in a ‘cultural’ war with the Civil Service, saying: ‘It’s not a health and safety thing – it just doesn’t make any sense. Ministers made it that kind of cultural warfare.
Only 142 out of 1,800 possible were reached at the Business Department
The Mail analysis on Sunday showed that several Government departments continue to push for hybrid working models, despite having dropped the restrictions regarding work from home.
The DCMS has one job. It is based in London and Manchester. However, the job advertisement states: “It is expected that the successful candidate would have the flexibility of working remotely with the expectation that they will attend a hub site two times per week.”
HMRC’s business management leads will be required to only go to work if there is a need for it, according to an advertisement. The Home Office’s Recruitment Hub boasts that the department offers a variety of flexible work options and is therefore a great place to work.
According to a spokesperson for the Government, “This statement is not meant to be taken in context.” A vast majority of jobs can be found in office settings.
“Even before the pandemic it was not uncommon for private and public sector organizations to provide flexible work arrangements for certain jobs.
The Government hopes that getting civil servants to return to the office will set an example to private companies – and so reinvigorate town centre businesses.
The PCS union representing public sector workers has opposed the plans and claimed they were’reckless’.
In the hope of never having to commute again, officials move to the country.
Anna Mikhailova for Mail on Sunday
Civil servants bought homes in Cornwall and Cotswolds to ‘gamble’, meaning they’ll never need to return to work.
Sources in government said that Whitehall officials had relocated to allow them to continue working from home (WFH), according to sources.
According to one source, they are aware of a few key staff members who are living in Cornwall or the North of England and still receiving London wages.
An insider claimed that civil servants were betting they won’t be forced into the job and had ‘taken an opportunity’ to buy homes away from Whitehall in the midst of the pandemic.
Picturesque: Cotswolds appealing to civil servants who work from home (file photograph used).
However, the source said that having multiple teams working in an office simultaneously ‘hammers group function’ and reduces productivity for Government departments.
Luke Johnson (entrepreneur, former Chairman of Pizza Express) stated that Whitehall senior officials are motivated to maintain the home-work culture.
He said that the medium- and high-ranking public sector managers probably reside in beautiful homes with gardens. They are making savings on their commutes. It’s almost like they are taking a pay cut, if they must go back.
According to another Government source, the relocation of civil servants to the Cotswolds was a ‘lovely decision’ for them and not for their junior staff (who get very little).
Boris Johnson appealed to Government departments last week to follow the example of the private sector, and to return to “normal” office patterns following Covid WFH guidance.
According to the Prime Minister, ‘Across Whitehall’, it is important to lead by example and to ensure everyone goes back to work.
After official data revealed that Covid infection rates were declining in the UK, Plan B guidance to “work at home” was removed last week.