Returning bureaucrats lifting capital's heart beat

Sunday, 14 June 2020

The bureaucrats are coming back, and Wellington's struggling businesses couldn't be happier.

After weeks of the central city looking like a ghost town, the government workers have started to return, bringing more life back to the CBD.

Before the pandemic they made up a sizeable majority of the 40,000 workers heading into the capital each day.

The last remaining staff in government departments still working from home began to return to work last week.

Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive John Milford said under level 2 about 20 per cent returned to work, with 80 per cent staying home.

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**

He hoped to see those numbers flip by early this week, to 80 per cent back at work, and 20 per cent at home.

'We've been saying shop local, support local; the city is obviously local for all the people who work in the city.'

It would be good to see people starting to return to local hospitality and retail businesses.

'If we don't recreate the economic vibe in the city, and recreate that atmosphere, we run the risk in losing it.

'Don't underestimate the importance of the economic vibe of the city, and what that contributes to making it such a great place to be, and such a great place to live work and play.

'Without that, we would have a pretty grey and dismal city.'

Glenn Barclay, national secretary of the Public Service Association, said while some public servants had missed the camaraderie an office provided, others were feeling pressured to return, despite being as productive working from home.

He hoped lessons could be learnt from the lockdown, in terms of providing flexibility in the workplace.

'Our union is optimistic about taking the lessons of lockdown into our ongoing discussions with employers, where we can identify and implement forms of flexible work that benefit all parties, including working from home in well-supported environments.”

The State Services Commission, the body which oversees the public sector, issued guidance recommending government staff return to their offices as soon as practicable.

The organisation itself employs 166 staff.

'During the Covid-19 lockdown, 100 per cent of SSC staff were working.

'A small number of essential staff worked from the office while the rest worked from home. Under alert level 2 requirements, up to 50 per cent of SSC staff were working in the office on a given day.'

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said all staff would be returning to the office.

'While we track our staff numbers we don’t do this daily by office or region, as many of them are working in schools and early childhood centres, with children.”

At the Ministry of Social Development occupancy was back to normal, although deputy chief executive of organisation assurance and communication, Nadine Kilmister, said most staff returned at level 2.

'As an essential service we have operated throughout all alert levels.'

People are returning to work in the private sector as well.

Chief people officer at Trade Me, Annie Brown, said the office was completely re-opened after partially re-opening at level 2.

Chief operating officer at Flick, James Leslie, said they had taken a safety-first approach, with a handful of people returning at level 1.

He said more people were feeling comfortable returning to the office with the move to level 1.

'We expect the full team will be back on board next week. We’ve all really missed the workplace banter and camaraderie.'