2,500 Dorset Council staff to carry on working from home
The council says it's acting on advice from Public Health Dorset.
“Dear colleague – please stay working from home until at least March next year” – that’s the message this week to around 2,500 Dorset Council staff.
It comes from Chief Executive Matt Prosser who says the advice is firmly based on public health expert guidance.
Some will see it as being in direct opposition to the Government’s call for people to return to the office where it is safe to do so.
But Mr Prosser says that the council simply does not have enough space to have everyone back while at the same time maintaining 2metre safe distances and other safety measures.
'Productivity and home working'
Last week councillors heard that having staff working from home had been beneficial with many reporting they had more positive feelings about working for the council. In some cases productivity has improved, in other cases, because of home circumstances, including caring responsibilities, it had dipped, but overall the effect on the council’s workload had remained much the same as before lockdown.
Although around 2,500 mainly office workers have been home working since the start of lockdown the council has roughly 2,000 other staff whose positions are front line, or not suitable for working anywhere else.
A consultation has been carried out with staff prior to the decision being made. The unions are said to be supportive of continued working for home.
But there are concerns for some staff who find working from home difficult or who miss the companionship of an office because they do not have family around them.
In an email to staff Mr Prosser said:
“The senior leadership team has made the decision, based on clear advice from Public Health Dorset, to extend current working arrangements through to the end of March 2021. We have made this decision for infection control. Our priority, as I set out, must be to keep the workforce safe and minimise risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus, so that we can continue to serve our local residents and communities.”
His email included a video from director of public health for Dorset, Sam Crowe, explaining why the decision had been made.
Said Mr Prosser in his message to all staff:
“As a large organisation we have many colleagues working in many different work places, not all in offices, many in a hybrid environment, moving between offices, depots, partner organisations places of work and of course directly with our residents and communities. This can bring its own challenge on top of your daily work.
“In mid-March we agreed with Cabinet the strategic principles for working during this global pandemic, including principles to guide our decisions – the key one being to ensure whatever we did supported both the public health and government guidance on COVID-19 and to keep you, our employees, safe. I am really pleased that whilst many of you have really challenging circumstances to work in, either out on the front line or working from your homes, colleagues have remained safe.”
The chief executive says that those who were identified as having a ‘critical need’ to work from an office, depot or other workplace, should continue to do so.
“It is essential that everyone respects this decision. I’m asking you all to play your part in keeping yourself and your colleagues safe,” said Mr Prosser.
In his email he acknowledges the quirks of Covid-safe advice: "I know it can feel a bit confusing with different COVID guidance. You might question why it’s ok to go to the pub, but it’s not ok to return to your workplace. The fact is that there are different COVID-secure requirements for different settings: what is required in a pub is different to what is required in an office.
"You may have seen media reports suggesting that the Prime Minister is urging people to ‘go back to work’, but the Government guidance is clear this needs to be to COVID secure workplaces. We have measures in place at office locations to ensure they are COVID secure (such as allowing for 2m social distancing and allocation of individual desks), meaning we can accommodate fewer employees safely within buildings."
He says that a range of advice and support has been made available for staff and managers on working through the pandemic.
He says the council is also aware of the effects lone working can have on some staff and is encouraging ‘buddy’ arrangement, checking in with colleagues frequently and meeting up occasionally outside in small groups, maintaining social distancing, if this is helpful.
Staff are being encouraged to ask any questions about the situation at an online session on September 10th.
By Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter