Poe urges work-from-home set-up for gov’t workers

In the face of rising fuel prices and lack of public transport, the government must lead the way in implementing work-from-home options for civil servants as a way of supporting them—without compromising quick and reliable services for all citizens, Senator Grace Poe said Tuesday.

The lawmaker raised her concern after the Civil Service Commission issued a policy institutionalizing an adaptable setup in the government as the country shifts to the new normal.

"As frontliners in the delivery of basic services, our government workers need as much support to deal with the soaring prices of essential goods and the current lack of public transport," Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, said in a statement.

"We hope that agency heads, in consultation with stakeholders, can sit down and formulate vetted guidelines in order to give our state employees greater flexibility in doing their jobs with the same, if not greater productivity and efficiency," she added.

According to Poe, the CSC resolution allows for work arrangements such as flexiplace, compressed work week, skeleton force, work shifting, flexitime or a combination of the schemes.

But the policy still requires strict monitoring mechanisms for daily or weekly reports, use of communication platforms and appropriate security measures to ensure the delivery of quality government services.

In supporting her call, the lawmaker pointed out that a flexible work arrangement can be a mechanism for the government agencies to curb demand for oil and help the public cope with back-to-back difficulties in public transportation, noting that several mass transportations projects are still in the works.

"Flexibility is the future of work, and for many workers including those in the private sector, it could mean staving off hunger while still doing their job well," Poe said, citing the Telecommuting Act for private sector employees.

She took as an example the long lines of passengers waiting at the hubs of the government's free-ride program which, she said, show how the people are struggling to make both ends meet.

“If we really want to encourage our people to leave their homes, go to the office and stimulate the economy, then we also need to provide them the means to get there without making them spend the bulk of their money on transportation. Otherwise, we will be turning a blind eye to the woes of our ordinary citizens," she ended. — BM, GMA News