New working hours for public sector employees come into force on 1 February following a circular issued by the Department of Public Administration and Personnel. The circular standardises weekly working time at 37.5 hours and sets out detailed provisions for fixed and flexible schedules, timekeeping and authorised absences.
Circular issued by the Department of Public Administration and Personnel
The Department of Public Administration and Personnel has issued a circular regulating the new working hours for all public sector employees, effective from 1 February.
According to the circular, the working time for all public sector employees is set at 37.5 hours per week.
Daily working hours under a five-day working week
For employees working a five-day week from Monday to Friday, the daily working time is set at 7.5 hours.
For services operating under a fixed schedule, working hours are defined as arrival at 7:30 am and departure at 3:00 pm.
For services applying flexible working hours, arrival is permitted between 7:00 am and 9:00 am, with departure between 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm.
Conditions for limiting flexible working hours
The circular states that where the application of a two-hour flexible schedule is not feasible, the relevant head of department may limit the range of flexibility for all or certain employees, depending on the operational needs of the service.
In such cases, employees must still be granted a minimum flexible working margin of 45 minutes within the established flexible working hours.
Provisions for breastfeeding and increased newborn care
For employees entitled to the facilitation for breastfeeding or increased care of a newborn, the flexible working schedule is extended by one additional hour.
Electronic monitoring of arrival and departure times
The circular specifies that appropriate electronic systems are to be used to monitor employee arrival and departure times. The use of an employee card by any other person is expressly prohibited.
Employees are required to carry a special personal card, which must be used exclusively by the cardholder when arriving at and departing from work, in order to record entry and exit times.
Half-day rest leave requirements
An employee taking a half-day rest leave is required to work half of the daily working time, amounting to three hours and 45 minutes.
Absence for private purposes
The circular also states that employees are not permitted to be absent during working hours for private purposes, except in exceptional cases and only following the granting of special permission.