Palace wants 4-day workweek proposal studied

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang believes the option of government offices in Metro Manila to adopt a four-day workweek based on a Civil Service Commission memorandum circular needs careful study.

Speaking to reporters, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda yesterday said the implementing agency has to also look at the guidelines of Civil Service Commission Memorandum Circular No. 22 vis-à-vis their work activities and their interaction with the public. 

“There are requirements in order for one to use the four-day workweek, that has not yet been discussed,” he said. “Most likely, there will be discussions on that.”

A deputy executive secretary was studying the scheme for the Office of the President, Lacierda said.

The circular encourages government agencies in Metro Manila to carry out a four-day workweek to reduce the volume of traffic; increase employee efficiency and organizational performance; promote work-life balance among employees; and enhance employee engagement, morale and productivity.

Under the scheme, the normal workweek is reduced to four days – from  Monday to Thursday or from Tuesday to Friday – but working hours are increased to 10 hours a day, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break.

It was the product of a survey on alternative work schemes and employee services that the Civil Service Commission had conducted.

Flexible time schedules will be suspended in agencies adopting the four-day workweek scheme.

Government agencies in Metro Manila can adopt the scheme provided the public can access online their frontline services; they have a one-stop shop; they have a functional call center/PABX telephone system allowing calls to be diverted to the officer-of-the-day; and they have a baseline data on their overall performance, as well as on absenteeism, tardiness, state of health, and turnover of employees, and satisfaction of clients.