“Some get our message, some do not. It’s definitely up to the department leaders to think: do they feel comfortable seeing largely empty taxpayer-funded buildings, with the public being more demanding of the state than ever before? The source said Mr Johnson had issued a directive on the performance of departments on numbers returning to the office to be published each week, but said there was “institutional opposition to it”. The Ministry of Justice and the Department of Labor and Pensions also allow three days a week to work from home, while the Council of Ministers allows two. The Ministry of Education agreed to open its four-day office at a staff meeting this week – a move endorsed by Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary. The “hybrid” regulation of the Ministry of Interior is believed to apply to all staff, unless they are in critical jobs where they are required to be in the office more often. Passport staff required to manually process passport documents are office-based, but could benefit from hybrid work once fully digital. However, agency staff and call center staff are believed to work heavily from home. Abigail Tierney, general manager of the passport office, was forced this week to lash out at the French company’s boss for her “unacceptable” handling of aid lines. Most of its staff are believed to work from home and boast on its website that newcomers to the business can “enhance” their careers by working from home. An Interior Ministry source said that “no official complaint” of intimidation had been made as a result of any meetings at the ministry. A government spokesman added: “Humanitarian programs set up in record time by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Communities, which work closely together, are helping thousands of Ukrainians find safety in the UK.” A government spokesman said: “The ministers and the secretary of the cabinet have made it clear that they want the government offices to be fully operational and all government departments are working hard to achieve this. “Departments should maximize the use of office space and their progress is closely monitored.”
