Rules for state teleworkers
Gov’t calls for offers to set up monitoring mechanism for civil servants working from home
A new project by the state’s Information Society agency is aimed at increasing the efficiency of civil servants working remotely through a public sector teleworking system overhaul that will take place gradually.
During the first coronavirus lockdown, in spring 2020, the results of teleworking across most state agencies and entities were far from encouraging, with employee efficiency leaving a lot to be desired. However, the latest surge in the pandemic has reminded everyone that working from home is here to stay – in the public sector too.
Last June the government regulated remote working through a law that tackled issues related to the protection of private data, teleworking hours and the equipment used by workers.
In this context the state is introducing a 4-million-euro project that was recently put up for public consultation and will be conceded for implementation in 2022. The new public sector teleworking model must be completed within 16 months of the signing of the contract, though that may be extended by another 18 months.
The model will have to cover such issues as the monitoring of civil servants’ efficiency and the compliance of workers with standard procedures and working times.
“The fact that workers are not at the workplace in person, and the need for the intervention of information and communication technologies, result in the modification of relations between the administration and employees, with the latter controlling the execution of their workload,” the consultation document reads.
That means public sector teleworking will soon require monitoring mechanisms “that in order to be truly efficient will have to rely on achieving predetermined targets, on submitting a list of deliverable projects and on the execution of specific tasks allocated.” In other words, for teleworking to function in the public sector, the entire flow of labor will have to be monitored, while ensuring the timetable set for specific tasks is adhered to.
