Physically going to work in the office should be made possible more than one day a week as soon as the epidemiological situation allows it, says Federal Minister of Civil Service Petra De Sutter.
Friday's Consultative Committee is expected to announce a number of relaxations, including regarding the obligation to telework. While it is unlikely that it be lifted entirely, experts are recommending moving to three days, instead of the current four.
"We are switching from one day of working in the office to two for those who want it. In the autumn, I called on civil servants to work entirely from home as much as possible," De Sutter told Het Nieuwsblad.
A survey of federal civil servants last summer showed that most of them did not mind working from home. "Yet, 13% are not satisfied if they can only work from home. I can imagine that others are also looking forward to seeing their colleagues in person."
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De Sutter stressed that continuing to work from home more often should also remain possible in consultation with superiors, despite the relaxations that are likely to come from the Consultative Committee on Friday.
In an interview with The Brussels Times a few weeks ago, De Sutter also explained that for her, "teleworking goes hand-in-hand with wellbeing." She also underlined the importance of the "right to disconnect," which now anchors into law that state employees may only be contacted outside of normal working hours for exceptional and unforeseen reasons.
"I do expect managers to be aware that for some people, it is not self-evident to be back on the shop floor," she said, asking for extra attention to be paid to vulnerable people who want to get back to working more in the workplace, or have a family member who is at a higher risk of severe Covid-19.
"Vulnerable people, in particular, are afraid of getting sick from Covid. The relaxations are a big worry for them," De Sutter said. "So people are still allowed to work from home if they want to and feel better about it."
