CSC OKs four-day workweek, shifting work sked

MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has allowed government agencies to adopt a four-day workweek arrangement and/or impose shifting schedule amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) threat.

In a Memorandum Circular promulgated Wednesday, the CSC said government agencies “may adopt either or both” of the proposed work arrangements.

In enforcing a four-day workweek setup, the agency is asked to “ensure that its normal workweek is maintained.”

Meanwhile, the CSC said those that will impose a shifting work schedule should “strategize” that employees will still meet the required 40 hours of work per week.

“The alternative work arrangements shall be adopted for the duration of the State of Public Health Emergency,” CSC said.

The memo covers all government agencies, namely: Constitutional Bodies, Departments, Bureaus, and Agencies of the National Government’ Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) with original charters, Local Government Units (LGUs), and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).

President Rodrigo Duterte recently declared a state of public health emergency due to the spike in COVID-19 infection in the country.

To date, the Philippines has 49 confirmed cases of COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that first emerged in China’s city of Wuhan in Hubei province in late 2019.

In the memo, the CSC likewise urge agency heads to ensure that workers providing essential services like health workers, frontline responders, frontline service providers and the like are provided support mechanisms such as health intervention, stress debriefing, and appropriate technologies to minimize face-to-face contact.