Ministers to put end to ‘Tuesday to Thursday’ culture at Civil Service

CIVIL servants face a crackdown on working from home as ministers plan the end of the “Tuesday to Thursday” office culture in Whitehall.

Downing Street is preparing to issue guidance to all government departments this autumn ordering them to ensure more staff return to their desks.

It will target mandarins who regularly log in remotely on Mondays and Fridays, a trend which has prompted growing alarm in No10.

Jeremy Quin, the Paymaster General, will launch the push as part of efforts to boost public sector productivity which has plummeted post-Covid.

Government sources said ministers have become increasingly concerned by the impact of working from home on Whitehall delivery. They are determined to reverse the pattern which has seen mandarins attend the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Departments were, on average, only half-full last week, according to official statistics, with none getting more than two-thirds of staff at their desks.

Mr Quin has ordered Whitehall managers to draw up new advice on the best ways to drive up attendance figures.

A source close to him said: “This isn’t some fishing expedition against the civil service – it’s about delivering for the taxpayer. To be clear, we expect civil servants to be in the office wherever needed to drive delivery.

“The taxpayer forks out for government buildings and rightly expects them to be used. Equally, junior staff cannot be expected to learn from behind their desks at home.”

Mr Quin is concerned that working from home is treated informally within Whitehall, with decisions often taken on an ad-hoc basis.

He is said to be pragmatic about the fact that some staff can fulfil their roles remotely, but believes the majority perform better when at the office.

Ministers are looking at a range of options to firm up the system, such as a requirement for mandarins to seek permission to work from home.

Other options include a new requirement for officials to work a set number of days in the office.

However, such changes would set up a battle with the unions given that they would require changes to be made to civil servants’ contracts.