Working from home is not an excuse to relax and not do work, civil servants have been told.
Speaking virtually at the monthly public service department assembly, director-general Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman said all civil servants must be at their stations to carry out their daily tasks.
Some 80% of civil servants are working from home under the third movement control order (MCO 3.0).
“Following the guidelines issued, we are actually still on duty at home and not on holiday; the tasks that are done in the office can be brought home.
“When civil servants are at home, they should not leave their respective stations, just like when they are in the office.”
Khairul Adib reminded civil servants to obtain their head of department’s approvals if they needed to leave their homes.
He also urged departments given new tasks to look for alternative ways to accomplish them without hiring more workers, which should be the last option.
“If we add workers, we are not looking after them just for a day or two, they will be in the public service for the rest of their lives.”
He added that the department had met finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz on the government’s cost to support the civil service, with civil service expenses, which includes allowances, increasing by 8.9% compared to the country’s revenue increase of 3.6% a year.
Khairul Adib said the government may not be able to afford these expenses in the future and may have to cut pensions and allowances.
“This is why we need to act before something like this happens.” – FMT