Civil servants in the Philippines offered flexible work options

This comes after more than two years since the start of the pandemic as the Civil Service Commission approved the (CSC) Memorandum Circular No. 2022-6, which took effect on June 15.

The CSC said the move was part of its efforts to institutionalise a more responsive and efficient bureaucracy as the country transitions to a post-pandemic new normal. 

“This is something new for the government and we would like to see how it plays out now. We have to make sure that all government services are running smoothly, but we also have to protect government workers and see to it that they also have a work-life balance,” said Aileen Lizada, Commissioner of the CSC.

Under the CSC memorandum, general rules still apply: Government agencies and employees must render service from 8 am to 12 pm and between 1 pm and 5 pm every day, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. 

However, government offices can choose to adopt work arrangements such as flexi place where workers can render services away from the office or compress the 40-hour workweek into four days or less instead of five.

READ: Transition to flexible work begins in the Philippines

Departments can also maintain a skeleton workforce where a minimum number of workers must report for office when full staffing is not possible or implement flexi time where employees can report any time between 7am and 7pm, as long as they complete the 40-hour workweek, reported the Inquirer.