Central Govt Employees: ‘Flexi’ Guidelines Issued For Office Attendance, Details Inside

The Department of Personnel and Training has urged government employees at the undersecretary level and above to report to work on working days from June 16 to June 30, whereas employees with disabilities and pregnant women will continue to work from home. According to the news agency ANI 'As regards government officials of the level below Under Secretaries, 50% of such officials shall attend office on all working days and the remaining shall work from home, said the order issued to all central government ministries/departments, a notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Training mandated."

In light of the Covid scenario, Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced earlier this month that the 'flexible attendance provision for central government employees had been extended till June 15. The Union Home Ministry mandated 50% attendance and varied time at its workplaces in April. It stated that officials up to the level of Under Secretary can work from home and that just half of the workforce is required to visit the office. According to the order issued by the Union ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions on Monday "All government servants at the level of Under Secretary and above attend office on all working days. All officers/staff have to ensure strict compliance with COVID-appropriate behaviour viz. frequent washing of hands/sanitisation, wearing a mask/face cover, observing social distancing at all times and "any laxity in this regard shall be viewed seriously."

The order further added that "Those officers/staff who are not attending office shall work from home and they should be available on telephone and other electronic means of communication at all times. Meetings, as far as possible shall be conducted on video-conferencing and personal meetings with visitors, unless necessary in the public interest, are to be avoided." To avoid crowding, the offices and employees will operate on staggered schedules from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., according to the directive. It further stated that biometric attendance would be halted and physical attendance registers would be kept until further instructions are issued. According to the directive, all officers/staff dwelling in the containment zone are excused from reporting to work until the containment zone is normalized.