Department of Public Administration and Personnel has issued a detailed circular regulating the introduction of Working from Home (WFH) in the public sector, which will come into force on 2 April. The circular outlines all relevant information, prerequisites, terms and procedural steps for both department heads and employees.
The Department recently also published an implementation manual providing guidance to public services, civil servants and contract staff.
Conditions for the application of WFHing
According to the circular, signed by the Department’s Director, Elena Oikonomidou-Azina, a core prerequisite for WFH is that an employee’s duties, in whole or in part, can be performed remotely, based on their nature and the technological means required. This assessment is made by the relevant Head of Department.
Employees working on a shift system are excluded from WFH. The Council of Ministers also retains the authority to exempt additional categories of staff. WFH applies only to civil servants who have completed at least one year in their current post, and to contract staff who have completed at least one year performing their current duties.
For WFH to be possible, services must provide eligible and interested staff with the necessary technological equipment and software. This includes a government-issued laptop, remote access to the official telephone system via Cisco Jabber, and access to official email through Microsoft Office 365.
Another key requirement is the installation of the Office Automation System (eOASIS), enabling secure access to correspondence and official documents, unless an employee’s duties do not require such access.
During the initial phase of implementation, employees whose duties require specialised information systems will not be eligible for WFH, as remote access to those systems requires further upgrades to the public sector’s technological infrastructure for security reasons. At present, only eOASIS can be accessed remotely.
Terms of implementation
WFH is voluntary and granted only with the approval of the relevant Head of Department or an authorised officer, following an application submitted by the employee through their immediate supervisor. Decisions will take into account operational needs and the smooth functioning of the service.
Applications must be submitted electronically via the attendance recording system used to log arrival and departure times. Services that have not yet installed such a system must do so in order to enable WFH.
The maximum number of WFH days per calendar year is set by the Council of Ministers. Under a decision dated 16 December 2025, the cap is 50 working days per year. For 2026, as the first year of implementation, the limit is set at 20 working days to allow for a smoother transition.
The circular stresses that WFH is neither an entitlement nor an obligation. Employees cannot demand to work remotely if this is not feasible, nor can WFH be imposed on them by management.
Monitoring performance and suspension of Working from Home
Performance during WFH will be assessed based on output, under the responsibility of the employee’s immediate supervisor. Unsatisfactory performance may lead to the suspension of WFH or the rejection of future applications.
Where service needs require it, department heads and immediate supervisors retain the right to terminate WFH and require the employee to resume duties at their usual place of work.
WFH does not alter other terms of employment, duties or obligations under the Public Service Law and relevant regulations, including working hours. Employees are not required to remain connected to electronic systems beyond their normal working hours.
Staff working remotely must comply with cybersecurity policies issued by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy. WFH is carried out from the employee’s place of residence, which must be suitable for the uninterrupted and effective performance of duties.
Call to department heads
Heads of ministries, deputy ministries, departments and services are urged to familiarise themselves with the WFH framework and to take timely action to ensure its implementation. Preparatory work should begin immediately to allow WFH to commence on 2 April 2026.
Supervisors are also expected to closely monitor the implementation of WFH to ensure productivity and the smooth operation of their services. Coordination and preparation may be assigned to a designated officer or team for greater effectiveness.
For clarifications, designated officers may contact officials of the Department of Public Administration and Personnel. Individual employee queries, however, should be handled internally within each service, with the Department approached only at a central level where necessary.