The Civil Service Commission (CSC) sets five (5) alternative work arrangements which government agencies may adopt while the entire country is still under a State of Public Health Emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic.
These alternative work arrangements are as follows:
- Work From Home;
- Skeleton/Skeletal Workforce;
- Four-day or Compressed Workweek;
- Staggered Working Hours;
- Combination of any of the above or other work arrangements which government agencies deemed appropriate and applicable considering the prevailing community quarantine in the area where they are located and the nature of work performed by their employees.
Under the Work-from-home (WFH) arrangement, government employees shall produce outputs or results and accomplishments outside of the office or in their respective residences.
For places which are declared under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), the WFH shall be adopted while those under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), where public transportation is limited and physical/social distancing in the workplace is required, WFH may be pursued.
Moreover, employees who are below 21 and those 60 years old and above, as well as those with immunodeficiency, co-morbidities or other health risk, pregnant women, including those who reside in areas where public transportation is limited and are residing in areas placed under GCQ, shall be under WFH arrangement, except when their services are indispensable under the circumstances or when office work is permitted.
Skeloton (Skeletal) Workforce may be sought by agencies when full staffing is not possible. They shall provide a minimum number of employees to man their respective offices to render services. Government employees/workers who are designated as skeletal workforce shall be entitled to hazard pay on top of the Compensatory Time Off (CTO) or Overtime Pay (OT) granted for authorized services rendered outside of the employee’s regular work hours.
[Read: Guidelines on the Grant of COVID-19 Hazard Pay]
In a Four-Day (Compressed) Workweek arrangement, government employees are only required to report to office four days each week. This means that the required 40-hour workweek shall be rendered in four days per week. On the other hand, a staggered working hours entails work shifting or flexible working time. It aims to limit the number of officials and employees in an office at any given time. For example, employees may be assigned to report to office from 7:00 AM to 1:00, and from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Government agencies are given the flexibilities to choose any of the above alternative work arrangements or a combination of two or more work arrangements, or other type of work arrangement they deemed more appropriate, provided the 40-hour workweek is completed.
Govenment agencies shall implement monitoring mechanism, such as submission of daily or weekly work accomplishment reports to ensure that public service delivery is not prejudiced.
Government agencies shall use CSC Memorandum Circular No. 10, s. 2020 as guide in implementing the work arrangements aforementioned above.
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