Back to work

By GYNNIE KERO
ALL public servants allowed to work from home in the past six weeks because of the Covid-19 state of emergency will return to their offices on Monday, an official says.
Department of Personnel Management secretary Taies Sansan said it was to ensure the continuity of government services around the country.
“All public service employees are now required to resume normal duties under the prescribed workplace arrangements effective as of May 4,” she said.
She told The National that there were more than 122,000 public servants on the Government payroll.
They include employees of various departments, provincial administrations, disciplined forces, health workforce, teachers and village court officials.
On the number of public servants allowed to work from home in the past six weeks, Sansan said all non-essential workers were mostly operating from home while on paid leave during the first 14-day lockdown from March 24 to April 6.
“After April 6, a circular was issued which requested all (employees in) central agencies to be at work to assist (those employed in) essential services,” she said.
She said tasks had been allocated to officers during the lockdown period.
“(They) were not (on) holidays. These were paid leave,” she said.
“Leave options were open to anyone who wanted to take leave during the period.”
On who had been “monitoring” them while they were working from home, Sansan said it was the responsibility of the heads of agencies.
“My circular was clear to all agency heads to monitor their staff while working at home,” she said.
“We can safely say all essential staff are made up of discipline forces and health workers.”
Sansan also advised public service agencies on the new normal work arrangements to ensure continuity of government services in the country.
The new normal workplace arrangements are:

• Ensuring that proper new normal safe workplace arrangements are consistent with the health safety and hygiene procedures to be put in place at work, with technical advice from the Health Department adapting World Health Organisation practices to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in work places;
• Ensuring workplace strategies are put in place to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19 among staff;
• Ensuring proper record keeping of staff during working hours to enable tracing in the event of employees showing symptoms of the Covid-19 and are tested positive; and,
• Ensuring each public employees who may become exposed to the Covid-19 in the process of delivering essential services must be provided with the personal protective equipment.

Sansan said emergency orders related to the work environment should be strictly enforced.
She advised public servants to follow the strict guidelines issued by the health department on social distancing, personal hygiene and self-isolation.
“In the event of someone feeling sick, they are to remain at home and seek medical clearance, and only return to work with the specific authority of their agency head,” she said.