Reject the shift to 60% office attendance at DLUHC

With no consolation upfront, its just imposition of change, that so far has not been supported by any evidence It also bears down heavily on the least well off and other staff groups within DHLUC

I am an adult who deserves to have agency over my own working preferences in order to be at my most productive. My office is not an environment that is conducive to productivity. With this new policy, I am looking forward to getting less work done without feeling guilty.

This is spiteful, politically driven nonsense.

It's very disappointing that people high up in the civil service think they're better placed to decide what is most effective for everyone in the civil service, without any evidence that there opinions are correct.

This is a rather dogmatic hostile approach which does not take account of the reality of life in 2023 (eg limited/insufficient office accommodation; much reduced public transport including destinations since before Covid; no evidence of reduced productivity/likely to reduce productivity etc; different ways of working by partners since Covid etc)

I have not seen any compelling argument demonstrating that this is an evidence backed decision. This will increase the cost burden for both employees and the public purse, with a detrimental impact on our efficiency and productivity.

The 60% proposal is illogical and counter-productive (except for some Pret, Costa etc outlets).

There has been very little consideration and consultation on the impacts on the workforce and certain cohorts i.e. women, neurodiverse groups etc

DO NOT AGREE WITH THE IMPOSITION OF 60% OFFICE

This is a disaster for disabled employees ad those with care responsibilities. There are also, practically, not enough desks for there to be 60% attendance, which will hardly favour productivity

Given my family circumstances, my preference is for 40% Office attendance. I also feel I can negotiate with my boss on this, and would want to avoid strike action over this.

This policy will have a negative impact on the time I can spend with my children and mean me and my wife may need to work less hours to cover childcare.

I do not agree with the increase to 60%. I am more than capable of doing my job effectively when working 40% of my time in the office. This impacts hugely on myself and other parents who now have a good work/life balance working flexibly between the office and at home. None of my team are in my office, so two days a week in the office seeing people face to face is fine for collaboration/mental health. I've still not heard a good enough justification for the increase in time.

This should not happen without proper consultation. That has not happened.

No data has been presented to support this move whilst data does exist to show people are more productive at home with fewer sick days. We will lose good people and fail to bring in new people (especially in regional offices) when we cannot compete with the private sector. Pay is already behind private and a lack of flexibility around working will put us even further back.

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I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE IMPOSITION OF 60% OFFICE ATTENDANCE WITHIN DLUHC

I started working at the civil service this September with the expectation that I will be at the office 40% of the time. I signed a tenancy contract for 2 years with this in mind. Now that means more commuting, higher expenses and no salary increase to reflect the changes.

Whilst I'll do it if we have to, I think it's important that the Civil Service realise that during lockdown, HM Government introduced measures (even before hybrid working) to allow Civil Servants to work how they want and where they want, focussing on outcomes not attendance. Myself and many others made lifestyle changes (like moving to a rural area) because of this, thinking working from home was the new norm, allowing me to work the hours I need to without a long commute. HM Government has also shrunk its estate too, and I only have 26 desks in my office, no water cooler and no canteen. Even the gents' toilet has been broken for weeks! If we're headed towards a "full time" office attendance regime, then I think we're going to struggle. There are no meeting rooms or breakout areas I can use where I work. It's nothing like the lovely 2MS office. So to summarise, if we have to go in 60% I'll do it, but I do think that the world is very different post-COVID and it's not as simple as 'getting off our pelotons' and get back into the office!

As a person with a neurodiverse condition, the flexibility of the last few years has revolutionised the way I work. I feel that is being taken away and I am being forced to conform to a 'civil service way of working' that does not give me the space to do my best work