PM supports Rees-mogg’s ‘Dickensian’ office push
THE Prime Minister has supported Jacob Rees-mogg’s back-to-the-office push after a Cabinet colleague reportedly called it “Dickensian”.
Downing Street said it stands by the drive to get more civil servants back at the office, including the use of notes left on desks with the message: “Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.”
The minister for Brexit opportunities, whose brief includes government efficiency, has carried out a series of spot checks on Whitehall offices to assess occupancy levels.
Last week he gave a presentation to Cabinet that included a league table which showed the government departments where the fewest staff had returned to work.
Nadine Dorries, the Culture Secretary, reportedly objected to Mr Reesmogg’s plans and said that the focus should be on civil servants’ productivity, saying: “There’s a whiff of something Dickensian about it. Why are we measuring bodies behind desks? Why aren’t we measuring productivity?”
A Whitehall source said: “This was a good-natured disagreement between two quite outspoken ministers.”
Ms Dorries was on record opposing the policy of ending the virtual parliament back in 2020.
Asked if Boris Johnson backed Mr Rees-mogg’s policy of leaving calling cards at vacant desks, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “What the minister is seeking to achieve is to do everything possible to get the civil service to return to the pre-pandemic level.
“That is what he is seeking to do. That is supported by the Cabinet Secretary and obviously the Prime Minister.”
‘This was a goodnatured disagreement between two quite outspoken ministers’
Mr Rees-mogg has told secretaries of state to send a “clear message” to officials about ending the work-from-home culture and urge them to ensure that offices are at “full capacity”.
He has written to ministers ordering them to send civil servants back to the office after gathering data which showed up to three-quarters of staff are still working from home. The Department for Education fared worst, with 25 per cent of staff going in each day on average while the rest worked remotely.
Jacob Rees-mogg, the minister for government efficiency, has run into resistance in his efforts to cajole Whitehall’s civil servants back to their desks after the “work from home” (WFH) directive issued during the pandemic. It is coming not just from the officials and their union representatives but from within the Cabinet.
Nadine Dorries, the Culture Secretary, reportedly derided Mr Rees-mogg’s approach as “Dickensian”. She added: “Why are we measuring bodies behind desks? Why aren’t we measuring productivity?” Ms Dorries was responding to a request from Mr Rees-mogg that departmental ministers encourage staff into a “rapid return to the office”. He has apparently been leaving notes on the desks of absentees with the message: “I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon”.
Last week, he presented the Cabinet with figures showing that some departments were using as little as 25 per cent of office capacity in early April. Dave Penman, general secretary of the First Division Association union which represents senior civil servants, said Mr Rees-mogg “simply does not understand how modern offices work”.
It is true that the move to more home working has been made easier by the expansion of virtual meeting platforms. Some employees, especially in the tech industry, need only access to a computer to do their job efficiently and their work can be carried out anywhere, even abroad. Those particularly enamoured of the WFH concept should not be surprised to find that their employers have concluded that “home” need not be in the UK nor their staff British.
But when it comes to delivering public services, this becomes increasingly problematic. This has been apparent with the fiasco at the DVLA with people waiting months for documents that only they can provide. High-level policy making also benefits from face-to-face contact, not remote discussion.
What is especially galling for those who have made their way back to the office is that the London weighting allowance continues to be paid to officials who no longer live or work in the capital. Why should the rest of us pay for this? The public sector is supposed to serve the people, not organise itself to benefit the staff ’s “work-life balance” to the detriment of those who rely on services run by a state monopoly. Mr Rees-mogg deserves the support of his Cabinet colleagues in his endeavours, not their brickbats.