A Flemish minister is looking to make working from home the norm for civil servants in Flanders even after the coronavirus crisis.
Bart Somers, regional minister in Flanders in charge of public services, said that, when it came to office work, it was the performance, not the setting that counted.
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"It is time for us to move away from the very classic view where working equates being in the office," Somers said, adding: "It's the performance that counts."
Somers said that the Dutch-speaking region should seize the upheaval of work traditions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, as many businesses adopted work-from-home routines in an effort to keep operations running.
In an effort to boost this transition, Somers has already allocated €1.7 million to training programs destined for government employees including for remote team management skills, De Standaard reports.
His statements come as the results of a survey of some 7,0000 Flemish civil servants showed that upwards of 75% were adapting well to teleworking, with 71% saying that it provided a good work-life balance.
The new work-from-home push for civil servants will not be mandatory, but Somers said that it could see civil servants telework between one to three days per week, on average.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
