HMPO changes to hours and locations

Changes to Hours and Locations in HMPO

HMPO attempts to push members to working flexibly.

PCS has recently been contacted by the department with proposals to offer staff the opportunity to work from other Home Office buildings and using different working patterns – for example evenings and weekends. Of course, this ‘opportunity’ raises considerable concerns for us as it involves members working outside of their contracted working patterns and normal places of work.

Working from Alternative Locations

Due to the restrictions on numbers imposed by social distancing requirements and the necessity of members to be in the office to use the AMS system, management in HMPO have been exploring the possibility of using alternative Home Office buildings to locate staff. PCS maintains that the best solution would be to enable greater use of home working through technological improvements.

Whilst mobile staff are potentially liable to be asked to work from alternative locations on detached duty under the mobility clause, there is a requirement to ensure and demonstrate that this is fair and equitable. This means that the specific individual circumstances of each member need to be considered regarding potential location changes.

It may be the case that some members believe that this is a good choice for them, for a potential variety of reasons. If members do decide to work from an alternative location on detached duty, then these terms apply. Excess fares can be claimed, and excess travel time can either be claimed in shift or with an additional payment claimed weekly.

Changes to Working Patterns

Despite receiving assurances that the initial draft of a “changes to working hours – lines to take” document was still being consulted over, we have unfortunately learnt that managers in some areas have pushed ahead with contacting staff members.

Some members may already have been approached by their managers and some members who are managers may have been asked to have these awkward conversations. PCS is concerned that the draft script for managers does not make it clear enough that the choice to work different hours is just that – a voluntary choice.

Our fears are that managers are being required to not just ask if members would like to work evenings or weekends, but if this is declined then ask why not! This is an unjustified intrusion into members’ private lives and places managers asked to do this in a difficult position. Members are not required to work outside their contracted working patterns and what members do with their free time is not the business of the department!

Although the department have indicated that working in the evening would attract the requisite allowance, the weekend work would attract no extra payment. PCS recognises that we have members who are contracted to work on Saturdays but for the vast majority the weekend is different to normal weekdays and we are concerned that members voluntarily working weekend days for no extra payment would be normalising this practice. The request to alter hours and days of work is one that is clearly designed to get more people into work – that’s to be expected from the employer, but in return the department are not offering any incentives.

Conclusions

PCS has written to Abi Tierney expressing our opposition to the department attempting to enforce these changes in working hours/days and the proposed moves to other estates and have reiterated our position that these temporary changes should be voluntary.

No one should feel under pressure or forced into making personal decisions. It is once again disappointing that HMPO management have rushed into launching these conversations before the completion of consultation over their terms. This unfortunately mirrors the rush to get vulnerable staff members back into workplaces that had to be reversed and raises questions about the undue haste that HMPO appear determined to move at.

PCS encourages members feeling pressurised into decisions to contact their local representatives. This is a difficult time for all of us. Our members in HMPO have continued to deliver high quality services for the public and their treatment should continue to recognise this dedication to this aim.

PCS continues to maintain that workplaces should only be used for essential work. We believe the department could be doing more to explore homeworking and the technology to facilitate this. Any new buildings or changes to working hours will still require the highest levels of cleanliness, provision of PPE, and proper social distancing measures.

We are also always looking for members to get more involved – if you are interested in becoming a rep or an advocate for our union please get in touch with the authors. Together we are stronger.

Denise Speakman (Assistant Group Secretary), Malcolm Speechley (GEC Member), Karen Alderson (GEC Member)