Work from home plan extended for some public service agencies and departments

Staff in some public service agencies and departments have been told to delay their return to the office. Here’s why.

Public service workers are set to continue working from home up to two days a week, with the government delaying a decision on when workers must return to the office full time.

After more than two years working from home, the Sunday Herald Sun can reveal employees in some agencies and departments are being told to continue working remotely up to two days a week, with the directive expected to last through winter.

Many expected a public announcement to be made about a more complete return to work by the end of March.

However, the state government maintains no official decision has been made, and it remains unclear exactly how many of Victoria’s 50,000-odd public servants have returned to offices at all.

The failure to get public servants back to work full time is another blow to the CBD which had a weekday office population of 250,000 before Covid struck.

It comes as Australia’s peak medical committee this week reinforced the need to maintain some transmission reduction strategies ahead of an anticipated peak of the current Omicron variant.

Employees in some agencies and departments are being told to continue working remotely up to two days a week. Picture: David Crosling

Sources said the government had also quietly shelved plans to further ease restrictions such as changes to various industry-specific vaccine mandates, which remain more stringent in Victoria than other states.

It is understood health officials were concerned about rising numbers of Covid cases and hospitalisations.

“The government was planning to get rid of some stuff this week but the health team are freaked out by the ­rising numbers,” one source said.

“I don’t think we are facing more restrictions yet, but it’s back to business as usual until numbers subside.”

Public health figures are also considering whether vaccination mandates are needed in sectors of the public service to increase the uptake of boosters in the community.

The CBD had a weekday office population of 250,000 before Covid struck. Picture: Mark Stewart

Third dose rates are rising slowly, with 65.7 per cent of Victorias over 18 having received the booster jab so far.

Another consideration among senior health officials is moving the current advice to allow some employers to enforce mandates themselves.

This would allow agencies like ­Victoria Police to create their own policies on booster vaccination.

Victoria’s working-from-home mandate lifted on February 25 but flexible working conditions can continue. In a speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia last month Daniel Andrews said he expected just 60 per cent of workers would return to offices post-Covid.