Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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310. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of staff working in a hybrid manner in her Department, and all State agencies under the aegis of her Department; the average remote working time for those who are working in a hybrid manner in these organisations; whether any research has been conducted into the comparable productivity of people working in a hybrid manner and those who work in a remote manner; and if so, the productivity differential between the two groups. [37350/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department’s Blended Working (BW) Policy was introduced in August 2022 following extensive consultation with staff and management and was developed in line with the Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service Organisations issued by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. This policy has recently been reviewed and updated, again in consultation with staff.

The BW policy supports my Department’s objective to be a dynamic, agile and responsive organisation, in terms of where, when and how teams work, while sustaining high standards of service to the public, performance and productivity. It is important to note that many of the services provided by bodies and agencies within the Justice sector are offered by dedicated staff on a national 24/7/365 basis.

The BW policy, which promotes a team-based approach, provides for attendance in the workplace for a minimum of two days a week. However, given the range of services provided by my Department, in the immigration area for example, there can be a requirement for attendance which varies up to and including full-time workplace attendance in many instances.

My Department has introduced a requirement for a minimum of four weeks full time on-site attendance as part of the onboarding process for all staff taking up a new role, to facilitate training, integration with teams, relationship building and familiarisation with the systems, culture and values of the organisation.

I can inform the Deputy that, while no qualitatiive research has been conducted into the comparable productivity of people working from home versus in the office, a general review of the policy undertaken this year found that the Blended Working model is working well overall, with many benefits for the organisation and staff, including staff recruitment, while affording greater flexibility to people within a framework that allows my Department to meet its important business needs and to provide a high quality service to the public.

I am also aware that within the immigration area over the last two years, as some blended working was introduced, productivity has increased, and this is expected to continue as part of the ongoing Modernisation Programme which will improve accessibility and flexibility for service users and reduce the need for in-office attendance.

The table below provides numbers of staff availing of blended working in the Department and relevant agencies as of September 2024. The Deputy should note that it is not possible to provide the detail requested in relation to the average remote working time for those working in a hybrid manner. My Department’s BW Policy is formed on a team-based approach with team charters completed and agreed by each team facilitating a regular review of blended working arrangements to reflect the dynamic and changing demands placed on all teams in the organisation. There is therefore, an ongoing variation in on-site attendance depending on the business needs of each area.

Based on a weekly schedule of two days on-site and three days remote, the average weekly hours per employee working remote is 21.