Work From Home framework: Govt to Go for Staggered Attendance

NEW DELHI:
As the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated many ministries and departments to ”Work from Home” to maintain social distancing in the fight against the deadly virus, the Centre has decided to continue to go for staggered attendance and variable working hours in the near future in the Union Government offices.

This procedure will be adopted even post-lockdown situation, and safety and security of information, while accessing government files and information remotely, will be ensured. To meet the purpose of maintaining social distancing and smooth work, Ministry of Personnel on Wednesday issued a memorandum to as a framework for “Work from Home”.

Officials said that the memorandum is a draft for consultation and all Ministries and departments will have to share their consideration by May 21 to the Ministry of Personnel over the Work from Home issue.

“It is quite likely that in the near future, the Central Secretariat will continue to go for staggered attendance and variable working hours to maintain social distancing at the workplace,” the memorandum said. Therefore, a broad framework for the Work from Home is important to standardise the operating procedure “even post lockdown situation” and to ensure safety and security of information, while accessing government files and information remotely, the memorandum says.

A draft consultation paper for the Work from Home has been circulated to all Ministries and Central government departments from the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances under the Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances and Pensions. The Personnel Ministry has also sought a proposal from all the Ministries in this move informing them “if comments are not received by May 21, it will be presumed that your Ministry and department is in agreement with proposed draft”.

As most of the government offices, Ministries have already started working from the office with around 30 per cent of staff and deputy secretary level officers and above with limited staff, the memorandum for post-lockdown is significant in the fight against the disease. The memorandum was issued two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation gave indication of lockdown 4.0 from May 18.

The nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown 3.0 is going on and it will end on May 17. With the beginning of the lockdown, all government as well as private organisations chose to work from home.