Largest workforce in country told to return to office in memo from NSW premier's department (2024)

A move to force more NSW public servants back into the office has divided opinions.

Government sector employees have been told they should work "principally" from their on-site workplace, moving away from working from home arrangements.

In a memo circulated on Monday from Premier Chris Minns's department, affected employees were mandated to work primarily in an approved office, workplace or related work site.

The guidance applies predominantly to public servants who can log in to do their job remotely, and does not include frontline workers who are already in the field.

"The NSW public sector is the largest workforce in the country ... the majority of our teams work face-to-face with the community and others fill critical roles to keep our institutions functioning to the highest standards," a letter from the secretary of the premier's department read, explaining the decision.

"This new guidance draws on the experience we bring of working together through the pandemic and through a period of profound natural disasters, all the while striving to serve the community."

The premier's department said it was not "mandating a particular pattern of attendance" but said that work should be predominantly completed in an "approved workplace".

Individual agencies have been left to develop and implement their own policies.

Flexible working arrangements — including part-time roles, job-shares, compressed hours and varied hours and breaks — will remain in place particularly for people with carer responsibilities and external commitments.

'Less productive'

While the circular did not specify minimum attendance requirements, Mr Minns said full-time employees would be expected to work at least three days in the office.

He said overseas studies showed people were less productive when working from home.

"There is a drop in mentorship. There is less of a sense of joint mission," Mr Minns said.

"This is about building up a culture in the public service."

The premier noted 85 per cent of the state's 40,000 public servants already lacked the option of working from home.

"You can't be a nurse in your tracky dacks in the lounge room, and you can't teach a class in your backyard while you're doing jobs around the house," he said.

'Bold move' or 'thing of the past'?

The Public Service Association (PSA) said it acknowledged that many of its members did not have the option to work from home, but that it had always "fought for flexible working arrangements".

"This includes, where possible, working from home for those whose roles do not rely on them attending a specific site," said general secretary of the PSA, Stewart Little.

"The PSA also understands that some worksites cannot physically accommodate all employees working onsite at any one time."

He said he was concerned pushing people back into the office could lead to loss of staff.

"I don't think anyone in their right mind thinks that we're ever going to return to pre-pandemic ways of work, that's just a thing of the past," he said.

"I think that unless you want to keep staff, attract and retain qualified, specialised staff, then you have to work flexibly."

State executive director at the Property Council of Australia, Katie Stevenson, welcomed the "bold move", saying it was exactly what cities needed to "thrive".

"This is a game-changer for our CBDs and local centres. More workers means more life, more investment, and more business for our cities," she said.

The council recorded Sydney CBD vacancy rates at a "historically high" 11.6 per cent in their most recent report.

For Parramatta, where there are a number of NSW government offices, the vacancy rate is 19.4 per cent.

"We need vibrant commercial centres every day of the week and the property council has been consistent with its calls for government action to make public servants work from work," Ms Stevenson said.

"Our nurses, teachers, and police can't work from home — there's no good reason why other public sector workers should work under different conditions, almost three years after lockdown."

A town hall event will be held on Tuesday to provide more clarity and details for the employees in question.

Loading...