When Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg was minister for Brexit opportunities and government efficiency, he left warning notes on the desks of remote-working civil servants.
At the time, in 2022, he said: “I am very concerned that public services are not being delivered properly because people aren’t at work.”
The ONS has been grappling with its own worker revolt over home-working, with hundreds of employees voting for all-out strike action earlier this year over instructions to spend at least 40pc of their time in the office.
Sir Jacob told The Telegraph: “Clearly civil servants are now literally – and that is a correct use of the word literally, which is very rare – asleep on the job. It is no wonder that public sector productivity is so low.”
He called for the Government to mandate a five-day working week in the office for the civil service.
Sir Jacob said: “This is clear evidence that people don’t work properly at home. We’ve had people confessing that they’d take naps when they’re working from home, which we just don’t do in the office. It’s embarrassing to fall asleep in front of your colleagues but it’s not embarrassing to fall asleep in the privacy of your own home.”
Lord Brady later called for “managers of the civil service to get a grip and do their jobs”. When he was chair of the 1922 Committee, he said: “It is simply unacceptable for so many of our public servants to continue sitting at home.”
Their messaging has been in stark contrast to that of the Labour Party. Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, has said that flexible working offers “real economic benefits”. Meanwhile, ministers are reportedly taking a more relaxed approach to where civil servants are working.
ONS analysis shows that those able to work from home have more time for rest and wellbeing, but that younger people are much less likely to have access to these benefits.
Just 19pc of workers aged under 30 use hybrid working models, compared to 29pc aged over 30.