Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

OfficesCivil ServiceCoronavirusHealth and safetyLatest News

Civil servants could see 80% return to office by end of month

by Jo Faragher 7 Sep 2020
by Jo Faragher 7 Sep 2020 A man walks past the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in London's Whitehall
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/PA Images
A man walks past the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in London's Whitehall
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/PA Images

Ministers are pushing for central government employees to return to offices as soon as possible, according to a letter seen by the BBC.

The letter says the government is “strongly encouraging” attendance through rota systems, with a view towards 80% of civil servants able to go to their usual Whitehall office at least once a week by the end of September. This would be “hugely beneficial”, it claims.

Returning to the workplace

Post-lockdown: reintroducing employees to the workplace 

Returning to work: Eight challenges identified by HR professionals 

The recommendations apply to staff in England, with staff in devolved nations expected to follow local guidance and work from home.

The move comes after criticism of government messaging focusing on a widespread return to the office when the majority of civil servants continue to work from home.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics last week showed a decline in people working exclusively from home, and that 57% of working adults were travelling to work – the highest point since coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March.

Railway services have also begun to run at 90% of pre-pandemic levels as numbers of commuters increase, according to the Rail Delivery Group. The number of passengers each carriage can accommodate has had to halve due to social distancing, however.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC Andrew Marr show at the weekend that “the economy needs to have people back at work” so the country could “bounce back as strongly as possible”.

“It is important to send a message that we need to get Britain back up and running, the economy motoring on all cylinders,” he said, conceding that the return to offices could happen in incremental stages.

Unions criticised the government’s eagerness to get civil servants and other workers back to the office, claiming it puts employees’ safety at risk.

Dave Penman, general secretary of public sector union FDA, said the Prime Minister was on a “fool’s errand” to think staff would flock back to offices, claiming the pandemic has sparked an “industrial revolution” of home working.

He said: “Over the last six months, the civil service has had to transform its priorities.

“It had to deal with a six-fold increase in Universal Credit, develop a furlough scheme for nine million workers — all while it was 95 per cent home-based.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“This idea that the government is going to lecture the private sector about what’s good for it, and virtue signal with the civil service, is a fool’s errand.”

  Health and Safety opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more health and safety jobs

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
Money worries affecting mental health of mid-life employees
next post
Former CPS prosecutor brought unfair dismissal case ‘too late’

You may also like

Government publishes ‘roadmap’ for Employment Rights Bill

1 Jul 2025

Ethnicity and disability pay gaps: Ready to report?...

1 Jul 2025

Government moves swiftly on immigration reform

1 Jul 2025

One in eight senior NHS managers from black...

1 Jul 2025

Government launches ‘landmark’ review of parental leave

1 Jul 2025

Clarks cuts 1,200 jobs after ‘year of transition’

1 Jul 2025

How HR can support families with adoption

1 Jul 2025

Co-op equal pay claims move onto next stage

30 Jun 2025

‘Be direct’ to avoid escalating conflict, advises Acas

30 Jun 2025

Reforming paternity leave could benefit UK by £13bn...

30 Jun 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today