Distance work for up to 70% of staff allowed in public offices

TDT | Manama

Ministries, entities and government departments have been allowed to increase the rate of distance work to 70 percent as a maximum. This was announced yesterday by Civil Service Bureau (CSB) president Ahmed bin Zayed Al Zayed. He said that the move is in line with the directives of the Government Executive Committee, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to encourage work from home for public institutions whenever possible.

The CSB instructions will be implemented from Sunday, and continue until further notice. It will be applied according to work requirements, and provided that the services delivered to citizens and residents will not be affected. The CSB president noted that the decision aims to reduce the number of employees at the work place, as part of the precautionary and preventive measures taken by the Kingdom to contain and prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Al Zayed indicated that government departments will determine the employees to be covered by teleworking, provided that the staff will carry out their duties alternately from home or by reporting to the work place as the competent authorities deem necessary. He added that vital professions that will be exempted from this decision will be determined in coordination between CSB and the respective government departments, in accordance with the requirements of public interests.