Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the announcement of 60% office-based attendance on staff wellbeing in her Department.

Civil Service Heads of Departments across government have agreed that the Civil Service is best able to deliver for the people it serves by taking a consistent approach to in office working. Heads of Departments agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.

The approach allows teams and departments to maximise the benefits of hybrid working and to get the best from being together. This also reflects the view of Civil Service leaders that there remain clear benefits to spending time working together face-to-face as the government delivers on the Missions commitments. The Civil Service approach is comparable to other large private and public sector employers.

In DWP around 35% of colleagues spend 100% of their time working in the office delivering face-to-face services to customers. Other colleagues are able to work in a hybrid way spending part of their time in the office and part of their time working from home. Senior Civil Service colleagues are expected to work from the office (which includes face to face time with colleagues or partners on official business elsewhere) for more than 60% of their contracted hours and the Department has now announced that colleagues at all other grades will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their contracted hours in the office from 1 September 2025. We have undertaken an Equality Analysis in respect of the increase to in office attendance to 60%.

Our revised hybrid offer, which for most hybrid working colleagues will mean them working, on average, from home two days per week, will still retain significant flexibility in line with the rest of the Civil Service. We are committed to supporting colleagues with workplace adjustments to thrive in DWP and line managers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 for employees with disabilities.

There is a wide range of wellbeing support available within the Department from physical to mental health as well as financial wellbeing. Colleagues have been signposted to this support through communications and advice. Colleagues have also been advised to speak to their line manager if they have any concerns regarding the change to 60% office attendance. The Department conducts regular colleague surveys to understand how colleagues are feeling about their wellbeing.