WFH makes us productive, civil servants claim
Seven in 10 mandarins have said that they believe remote working has had a positive effect on Whitehall, according to a YouGov survey of civil servants.
Respondents said that working from home had a particularly positive impact on the ability to 'attract and retain talent' as well as on employee satisfaction
More than three-quarters of civil servants (79 per cent) said they believed it had a positive impact on employee productivity.
YouGov conducted a survey of 101 civil servants about how they felt Whitehall was working, with a particular focus on working from home practices.
When asked to suggest a working from home policy they felt most appropriate, half said that Whitehall should mandate one or two days in the office.
Nearly a third (30 per cent) believed that the most appropriate policy is to allow all civil servants to work from home as much as they want.
The rules for office attendance within the civil service mean that mandarins should spend at least 60 per cent of their working hours in the office or on official business elsewhere.
The rule was brought in under the Conservatives, but has continued under the Labour Government.
Over half of civil servants also told YouGov that remote working has had a positive impact on public service delivery, and 50 per cent said it had benefitted policy development and decision-making.
The demand for civil servants to be working face-to-face with colleagues for three days a week was met with criticism from some civil servants.
A survey conducted by the FDA union found that more than three quarters felt an enforced turn to the workplace was not 'beneficial'.
Chancellor prefers office
Rachel Reeves has previously said that she 'leads by example' in the Treasury by going into the office, claiming that she was 'reaping dividends' from face-to-face working.
It comes amid ongoing concerns about the productivity of the public sector, which fell by 0.3 per cent in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The Telegraph revealed in April that more than 2,000 public sector workers were allowed to work from foreign holidays in order to extend holidays or visit partners abroad.
YouGov also found that 59 per cent of respondents to their survey said that the Whitehall civil service is performing well, more than the 40 per cent of MPs who answered similarly in a previous YouGov poll.
Last December, the Government awarded a 2.8 per cent pay rise to senior civil servants, along with teachers and NHS staff.
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