A central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service will be finalised in conjunction with employee representatives over the coming months. One of the key objectives of the Blended Working Framework is to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to move to 20% remote working. It is anticipated that my Department’s Blended Working Policy will be in place by end Q1 2022 in line with central Government guidance. A key aim of the policy will be to balance and support the business needs of the Department with retaining the flexibility and benefits of remote working.
To enable staff to work remotely during the course of the pandemic, all staff in the Department have been provided with the capacity to work remotely with IT hardware and software including laptops, phones and software licences. The percentage of staff with the capability to remote work and have access to cloud services for videoconferencing amounts to approximately 100%.
During the course of the pandemic, my Department continues to ensure all staff have access to cloud service remote videoconferencing and have the capability to remote work. This is managed under the Office of Government Procurement framework for the provision of Microsoft Licensing Services.
