Its timing suggests the government has been feeling the heat from gloomy businesses in Wellington’s central business district (CBD) and this is designed to make them feel the government is trying to help them.
However, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was adamant that was not the case. The primary reason for the new guidance about working from home was to make sure there is "a really high-functioning ambitious public service that’s actually building a cadre of talent within it".
Such sentiments are not likely to endear him to those public servants who might consider they are already performing well and who may be reeling from the job cuts, which have resulted in more than 6000 of their colleagues’ jobs vanishing.
Mr Luxon and Public Service Minister Nicola Willis see the guidance as bringing the government workforce into line with what is going on elsewhere in the world in big business and government.
Working from home is not being outlawed, but the new guidance will make clear working from home is not an entitlement and must be agreed on and monitored.
The lack of data about working arrangements means we have no proper way of knowing if such monitoring is going on now, although Ms Willis conveyed concerns she had heard anecdotally from some public servants.
When she said more than one minister had told her of their experiences of "going on a floor walk in their agency and observing a lot of empty desks" , it was surprising nobody at the media conference asked her if that might be because occupants of many of those desks were now jobless.
"That’s even before we consider the effects for the CBD retailers, restaurants and cafes."
However, in a cost-of-living crisis where many public servants will still be fearful about job security, we wonder how many of them will be splashing the cash in the CBD and will balk at having to pay higher weekly travel costs.
The government does not have any reliable data on how many people are working from home, in what circumstances, or for how many days a week.
It will gather some data on this now, so it can compare what is happening in various agencies, but it does not seem to be considering a comprehensive look at the pros and cons of public servants working from home.
Such research could have looked at wider questions such as whether working from home one or two days a week is beneficial for emissions reductions, keeping illnesses from spreading in workplaces, schools and early childhood centres; if it could be better for productivity than five-days-a-week in a hectic open-plan office, adds to or subtracts from staff’s enthusiasm for their work or their ability to be part of a well-functioning team; and what impact it might have on undesirable workplace practices such as sexual harassment and bullying.
It is a missed opportunity.
Free Rats escape
From the end of this month, Covid-19 rapid antigen tests (Rats) will no longer be free.
Health New Zealand says free Rats still available for collection from participating pharmacies will have a shelf life ranging from December 2025 to May 2027, giving people a long timeframe for possible use.
However, those people who miss out on getting free tests before October 1, for whatever reason, will have to pay to follow the public health advice for the management of Covid-19.
That advice still recommends using a Rat and, if it is positive, isolating for at least five days.
The change is short-sighted and likely to have the most impact on the poor, many of whom might also be at greater risk of suffering serious illness or death from the disease.
