"In these broken times, it's not easy to spare a thought for the plight of the humble civil servant. But bear with me and open your heart. Last week, it emerged that the Cabinet Office has brought in new rules for civil servants about the types of meetings they can hold. Anything that constitutes a networking meeting now has to be held outside working hours."
"But I have sympathy for the backlash, which has been as muted and discreet as Sir Humphrey Appleby of Yes Minister fame himself. As a civil services union source put it one likes to think in sotto voce this move risks staff feeling under attack at a time when once again they are being asked to do more with less. Can you picture Sir Humphrey's tight smile at the end of these words?"
The Cabinet Office introduced rules restricting networking meetings to outside working hours and requiring senior civil servant sign-off. Supporters argue the rules are proportionate because most meetings already occur outside core hours and reinforce focus on core duties. Some staff and union sources warn the changes risk damaging morale while workloads increase and budgets tighten. Critics describe the measure as another step toward a more proscriptive, rigid, and rule-bound working culture. Defenders of informal networking argue that talking to colleagues builds deeper connections that help when work is stressful and resources are limited.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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