Central Government Employees Work From Home After Closure: Preliminary WFH Guidelines

Central government employees may have to work from home even after closing. Representative image

Central government employees work from the house rules after closing: Central government employees may have to work with phased attendance and variable work hours, according to a draft framework for “work for home” for staff after the Ministry of Personnel closes, PTI reported today. He said the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) can provide the work from home option to eligible officials / staff for 15 days in a year as a matter of policy. If implemented, the work-from-home rules will affect around 48.34 lakh of central government employees. The Personnel Ministry has informed all government departments that the Coronavirus pandemic has required many ministries to operate from their homes to maintain social distancing.

“Many of the ministries / departments in the Government of India have successfully and exemplary results in combating the ongoing pandemic outbreak during the closure period by taking advantage of the electronic offices and video conferencing facilities of the National Center for Computing (NIC) This was the first experience of its kind in the Government of India, ”said the DoPT.

In addition, the central secretariat may have to continue phased attendance and variable work hours to maintain social distancing in the workplace in the near future. “Therefore, a comprehensive framework for work from home is important to standardize the operating procedure, even after the lockdown, and to ensure information security, while accessing government files and information in a timely manner. remote from home, “said the DoPT.

New POE

The ministry has finalized a new set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for employees to ensure smooth and smooth operation of the government for the continuity of office work, in addition to imparting resilience to the ecosystem, even after lockdown situations. . The respective ministries / departments will provide logistics support in the form of a laptop / desktop computer to central government employees.

“Ministries can use the laptop inventory on a rotating basis for officers who work from home and need that logistical support,” according to the draft guidelines. Employees who work from home can also get reimbursed for Internet services they would use while working from home.

“The Department of Expenditures may consider reimbursing data usage to officers who work from home and, if necessary, may issue separate guidelines in this regard,” the draft guidelines said.

Extra protocol for all VIP matters

The draft guidelines have proposed an additional protocol for all VIP and Parliament matters that require maximum attention. “Therefore, SMS alerts for all receipts and files will be sent to the next officer on the channel,” he said.

According to the draft guidelines, the concerned ministries / departments, which are not yet using the electronic office module, will strive for its rapid implementation in their secretariat, attached and subordinate offices on a “temporary” basis.

Classified files

Currently, around 75 ministries / departments are actively using the electronic office platform, of which 57 have accomplished more than 80 percent of their work. E-office refers to the digitization / computerization of office work. However, “classified documents / files” cannot be processed while working from home.

“According to the instructions of the Ministry of the Interior, no classified information will be handled through the electronic office. Therefore, classified files will not be processed in the electronic office during work from home, ”he said.

The NIC may evaluate the existing security protocol for remote access of classified files / information in consultation with the Ministry of the Interior and propose appropriate guidelines and standard operating procedures for handling classified information in the electronic office, according to the guidelines. “So far, classified files will be processed on separate computers only as specified in the Central Secretariat Office (CSMOP) Procedural Manual,” he said.

The Personnel Ministry also said that the officers to whom the official laptops are provided will ensure that they do the official job only on the official device.

The DoPT has asked all central government departments to submit their comments by May 21, otherwise, the “ministry / department will be presumed to agree to the proposed draft.