The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated new ways of working across the public sector in Ireland. To effectively manage the workforce and maintain service continuity, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform expanded its role to provide leadership, direction and embed innovative working arrangements. Key principles were established, including prioritizing public health, business needs and a unified "One Public Service" approach. Frequent communication channels were set up between employers and stakeholders to collaboratively address issues. Flexible working arrangements were introduced, such as working from home, staggered hours and virtual employee supports. The collective efforts ensured consistency, common purpose, equality of treatment and maximum workforce utilization while strengthening relationships.

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NEW WAYS OF WORKING DURING COVID-19
David Cagney,
Chief Human Resources Officer for the Civil Service, Ireland
Why: What was the problem, what did not work? Why there was a need for such a solution?
COVID-19 has become the key unifying issue affecting all public service employers and employees during
2020. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has supported public service employers to
effectively manage the public service workforce and maintain business continuity. The Department
expanded its role to encompass agreeing the principles for working arrangements for both the Civil Service
and the broader public service (c.400 000 employees); providing leadership, direction, embedding an
innovative uniquely responsive and collective approach to the new working arrangements that came in
virtually overnight in March 2020.
The immediate challenge was to support public sector employers in mobilising their workforce to continue
to provide key services to the people of Ireland, while protecting the health and wellbeing of all staff, in line
with Government guidance.
How: How were the solutions developed?
Employees, unions and staff representatives have shown flexibility in working to introduce new
arrangements so that the public service could continue to deliver crucial services to the public. This
collective ownership helped the workforce to remain productive and continue to deliver essential services
for the public, despite the challenging environment. To achieve this, we recognised the need to act as One
Public Service. The general principles that apply to the working arrangements during COVID-19 in the Civil
and Public Service include:

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Public health Business need One Public Service
Safeguarding the health of
both the public in their
interaction with the public
service, and employees, is
central to how work is
organised. Public service
employers and employees
must comply with measures
for safeguarding public
health and safety of the
workplace, including related
legislation and Government
advice.
The public service must
deliver the services that the
public need and expect in a
changing delivery
environment. Openness,
transparency and consistency
will underpin service delivery
and decision-making. The
employer determines the
criteria for return to the
workplace according to
business needs.
Throughout the COVID-19
pandemic, we have operated
as a unified, One Public
Service and developed
guidance and FAQs in order
to ensure transparency of
decision making and agree
on the overriding principles
which apply, while
recognising individual needs
of certain sectors.
The Department aimed to:
 Take a leadership role, anticipate emerging issues, agreeing proactive solutions, in line with evolving
public health advice;
 Establish an agile mechanism for shared ownership of key decisions;
 Harness and enhance existing networks, creating new structures and processes where needed;
 Ensure consistent, fair treatment of staff across all sectors;
 Lead formalised, constructive engagement with the Unions, as One Public Service to maintain
industrial peace at a time of unprecedented change;
 Rapidly restructure the Civil Service HR Division to most effectively support public sector employers.
What? Description of a tool/solution
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform led an accelerated One Public Service approach to policy
development and decision making during COVID-19, involving employers and stakeholders across the Civil
Service, and for the first time, the Public Service communicated through Guidance/FAQs to all public
servants on www.gov.ie.
The Department set up Civil Service and Public Service sector calls, initially on a twice weekly basis (four
calls per week) and now weekly (two calls per week) to discuss changes to public health and Government
advice, and queries and common issues that sectors raise directly with the Department. We collaborate on
changes to the Guidance/FAQs to ensure that we understand the implications of changes in each of the
sectors.
Examples of the types of arrangements put in place include:
 Temporary Assignments Policy/Scheme developed with stakeholders to immediately respond in
week one of the crisis, ensuring continuity of essential public services, providing a structure to
manage similar requirements into the future.
 Flexibility across the public service including temporary flexible working arrangements for example
continuing to work from home wherever possible, flexible shifts, staggered hours, longer opening
hours, blended working patterns, weekend working etc. The principle of these arrangements have
been agreed centrally, with local agreement and engagement between management and
unions/associations.

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 Transition to virtual employee supports- the Civil Service went from 100% in-person learning and
development to 100% virtual and e-learning, with high engagement levels and positive feedback
e.g. Return to Workplace Safely Induction. In addition, the Civil Service Employee Assistance Service
has expanded online supports for all Civil Servants.
What results: what were the benefits of the solution, how does it work in practice, lessons learnt
The Department’s approach ensured:
 Consistency in the management of the workforce;
 A sense of common purpose across the public service;
 Equality of treatment of staff across the public service;
 Mobilisation and maximum utilisation of the workforce;
 Strengthened industrial relations framework and key relationships;
 Clarity on ways of working and terms and conditions that maintained the good will of the workforce.