Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 September 2021
30. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps that being taken to facilitate remote working within his Department in particular to encourage remote working for those who live in the regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42704/21]
View answerDepartments and Offices are currently working in line with Government COVID-19 guidance, which provides for home working to continue where possible. The Department has work locations in Dublin, Sligo, Carlow, Kilkenny and Ennis. Staff in each of these locations were supported to work from home during the pandemic in line with Government Policy.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is developing a central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service. This will be finalised in conjunction with employee representatives over the coming months. This framework will inform the development of organisation level blended working policies tailored to the specific requirements of each Department/Office, whilst ensuring a consistency of approach across the Civil Service.
Since the start of the pandemic, my Department has made significant efforts to facilitate remote working for staff, and to invest in assisting staff to work safely and productively from home.
My Department’s Management Board also recognised that customary approaches for ensuring staff development, team effectiveness and manager engagement needed to be reconsidered to support successful blended working. In October 2020, the DETE Management Board approved the launch of the ‘ConnEcTEd Teams’ pilot programme with the aim of identifying and promoting behaviours that support effective remote/ blended working for teams. The programme targets five key areas:
1. Maintaining team/ organisation-wide connectedness and trust;
2. Ensuring effective and efficient information flows;
3. Enabling continued on-the-job training and coaching activities;
4. Facilitating remote collaboration and innovation; and
5. Supporting employee wellbeing.
The most significant element of the ConnEcTEd Teams initiative is our project involving pilot teams from seven Divisions across the Department, representative of all grades and locations. Each of the teams underwent a process to identify and implement actions that could positively impact their remote/blended team working behaviours. Senior leaders from across the Department also participated in facilitated sessions that focussed on building a shared understanding of the strategic opportunities and challenges presented by blended working for DETE. It identified the skills required to be effective leaders in a hybrid work environment.
Based on the insights gained from the programme, our HR team is preparing a report which will present a menu of actions for consideration by individuals, teams, people managers and leaders seeking to embed effective blended team working behaviours. The report will highlight areas where the Department can focus its efforts to support blended working at an organisation-wide level (e.g. orientation, people manager supports, network creation, virtual collaboration training). The ConnEcTEd Teams project report, when approved by the Department’s Management Board, will be shared across the Civil and Public service with the intention that other organisations may learn from the process and insights uncovered.
In line with Government policy the Department has issued communications to staff and is convening planned information sessions to address questions and concerns that staff may have as we plan a phased return to the office from 20 September. The Department sees a phased return to the office, in all locations over the next three-six months, thus enabling staff a gradual return as measures are put in place during the pandemic to manage work/life commitments are recalibrated to meet the needs of the Department post pandemic.
