The Scottish Government’s “work from home” rules were relaxed in February 2022, when Nicola Sturgeon recommended a hybrid working approach in her statement to the Scottish Parliament. This opened up opportunities for organisations in Scotland, including local government, to explore the positives of this flexible approach.
Timewise, an agency that provides support and training for employers looking to offer flexible employment options, was founded back in 2012, long before COVID made hybrid working a key issue in the workplace. It has developed toolkits to support employers and employees who are interested in the benefits of flexible options like hybrid working, and last year featured in an Improvement Service webinar aimed at organisational development and HR professionals within Local Government.
It has identified several positives to offering hybrid working as an option in local government, such as increased potential for talent attraction and retention, an increase in staff wellbeing and morale, improved perception of an organisation by staff and potential recruits, and the ability to support staff to do the right job in the right place.
An October 2020 survey by the British Council for Offices found that 46% of workers are planning to split their time between home and the office and enjoy the benefits of hybrid working – a number which is only likely to have increased in the 18 months since. This kind of significant change doesn’t come without its challenges. Providing the right technology and technological support can be difficult when employees are based at home, while internal communications and innovation may suffer if teams are based in disparate locations, rarely meeting up in person to discuss ideas and share knowledge.
There are specific challenges for local government and the public sector in general when it comes to hybrid working; there are many roles that simply cannot accommodate flexible working, such as public-facing roles in health and social care and education and those working in the wider community. Local government has to manage this challenge to avoid the perception of a two-tier workforce – those who are “allowed” to work from home and those who have to come into work every day. It is important to remember that while hybrid working is the latest buzzword of the pandemic era, it is not the only flexible working option on the table and that those in public-facing roles who are interested in part-time hours or flexi-time should be accommodated as much as possible to avoid that two-tier perception.
In addition, the demands on local government staff in Scotland have never been higher, and one of the biggest disadvantages to hybrid working is the blurring of the edges when it comes to working hours. Staff who left the office at 5pm in the days before COVID may now find themselves working an hour or two extra at home, often without even realising it! That elusive work-life balance is much harder to achieve when your work and your life both happen in the same space.
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Homeworking for Local Government Staff
Dr Michelle Weldon-Johns, Senior Law Lecturer at Abertay University, examines some of the issues surrounding homeworking amongst Local Government staff.
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Homeworking Roundtable
Abigail Marks and Dr Michelle Weldon-Johns discuss practical support organisations can provide for homeworking, how inclusive working from home can and has been, and how homeworking has impacted pace, productivity and work-life balance.