Fifteen of New Zealand's 32 public service departments sign up to flexible work scheme

Sunday, 24 November 2019

Growing numbers of public servants are working from home as part of a massive public sector shake-up.

Fifteen of the country's 32 public service departments are now offering flexible working arrangements for employees on a trial basis, with the policy intended to be rolled out sector-wide by the end of next year.

The flexible work pilot was announced by Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter in December, and is part of the government's Gender Pay Action Plan.

It's hoped the scheme, which requires employers to treat all roles as flexible unless there is a good business reason not to, will help reduce the pay gap between men and women by removing barriers to employment.

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The flexible work pilot was announced by Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter in December. (File photo)

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Flexible working arrangements can include reduced or changeable daily work hours, nine-day fortnights, a gradual return to work following parental leave, phased retirement, purchased annual leave, and working from home.

Seven agencies were part of the initial trial, including the New Zealand Customs Service. (File photo)

Seven government agencies were part of the initial trial, with that number more than doubling over the past 12 months.

Dr Paula O'Kane, from the University of Otago's department of management, said the policy was something New Zealand needed to consider across all sectors.

'Certainly our research would suggest that people are looking for more flexibility. From the future of work perspective, it's going to become a whole-of-society need.'

Many skilled employees would probably need to work beyond the retirement age in the future because they could not afford to stop working, and they would not favour a traditional 40-hour week, O'Kane said.

State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes says flexible work arrangements help to retain staff and reduce costs. (File photo)

'Millennials, too, are crying out for flexible work. As a society, New Zealand needs to embrace it.'

Although the policy was established to help remove barriers to employment, O'Kane said that should not be the focus of the initiative.

'Flexible work is no longer about female parents. New Zealand needs to think very carefully about how we work generally.'

There are almost 50,000 full-time employees across New Zealand's public service departments, according to a State Services Commission workforce report published last year.

Public Service Association national secretary Kerry Davies is also behind the move. (File photo)

The Privacy Commission said any of those people working from home presented a heightened risk of secure information being compromised.

'When employees working from home interface with an organisation's information system, it can increase the likelihood of a privacy breach if adequate preventative measures are not in place,' a spokesperson said.

'Organisations need to have suitable safeguards.'

Many of those safeguards – such as encrypted data, two-step authentication on electronic devices, and up-to-date protection software – should already be standard practice, the spokesperson said.

The Commission also provided guidelines for public servants on how to keep private information safe. However, each organisation was responsible for its own security safeguards.

State Services commissioner Peter Hughes said research showed flexible work helped to retain skilled staff, reduce recruitment costs, and lower absenteeism.

'A proactive approach to flexible working is being championed by progressive leaders in both the public and private sectors because it can benefit everyone: employers, employees, their families, and communities.'

Not all roles would be suitable for the scheme, Hughes said.

There were no figures available on how many workers had taken up alternative working arrangements.

The Commission's report stated the average salary of a public servant was $77,900, with the figure varying significantly among departments.

Women made up 61 per cent of the employees, but the gender pay gap remained at 12.2 per cent.

Genter said the government was on track to roll out the policy sector-wide by the end of next year.

“The public sector needs to be a responsible employer that supports working parents, just as many leading private firms are doing.

'Happy employees who are less stressed because they can balance family life are even more productive at work.”

Public Service Association national secretary Kerry Davies said the initiative would help many people.

“Too many of us must choose between jobs that pay well and advance our career, and jobs that allow flexible working arrangements. This disproportionately affects women, Māori and Pacific workers.'

A Ministry for the Environment spokesperson said a large number of its employees had adopted flexible working arrangements, and that was actively encouraged by management.

'We provide regular training and information to employees to ensure they understand their responsibilities when working remotely, including those related to the privacy and security of Ministry information and systems.'

The results of the Gender Pay Gap 2018-2020 Action Plan are due to be released before the end of the year.