Scottish civil servants required to work two days a week in the office, according to new guidance

Scottish civil servants will be required to work 40 per cent of their hours in the office, according to new guidance from the Scottish Government.  

The new rules also require senior civil servants to spend 60 per cent of their working hours in the office.

Civil servants were informed of the policy update to make in-person working mandatory today by email. They will also be required to use a new self-reporting tool to record where they are working from.  

In the email, Permanent Secretary Joe Griffin said he sees “huge value in a balanced hybrid approach” and “getting the balance right matters”.  

He added: “The public and ministers expect a civil service that is visible, connected and operating to a clear, consistent standard.  

“This change gives us the confidence to demonstrate that is what we deliver in the service of Scotland.”

In October last year, over 9,000 Scottish civil servants were asked to be in the office 40 per cent of the week. However, reporting by the Herald suggests that the target was not met.

In the email, Griffin said: “We will approach this change with care, championing inclusion and individual circumstances.”

Speaking yesterday during a webinar on public service reform organised by Holyrood, public service reform secretary Ivan McKee said: “Hybrid is the watchword, and a hybrid solution means that sometimes you’re working at home, sometimes you’re working in the office, or sometimes you’re out working in somebody else’s office.  

“I think that for those roles that we’re talking about, being in government or in other parts of the public sector is exactly where it should be that balance.  

“It's important, and the government has obviously set expectations for that.”

He added: “People who are never in the office or are rarely in the office aren’t engaging with their colleagues in a way that is conducive to taking forward the common working across the piece.”

FDA, the union that represents civil servants, has been approached for comment.