1 in 3 public servants working from home: report

New survey finds 95% of employees in one agency work from home at least once a week

1 in 3 public servants working from home: report

A third of public servants in New Zealand are working from home in the wake of recent government instruction ordering employees to return on-site.

New data from the Public Service Commission (PSC) found that 33% of public servants are working from home either one or two days a week during October and November 2024.

Among those who work remotely, the most common day to work from home is a Friday, with 23%, while the least common weekday for WFH is Wednesday, with 15%.

Overall, 55% of public servants said they do not typically work from home, or only do so infrequently.

On average, public service employees work from home for 0.9 days a week, according to the report.

WFH data by agency

By agency, the Ministry of Ethnic Communities registered the highest frequency of working from home in the workforce, with 93.5% of employees saying they work from home at least once a week.

This is followed by the Aroturuki Tamariki - Independent Children's Monitor, with 86.2%. Other agencies that reported high frequencies of working from home include:

  • Serious Fraud Office (81.8%) 
  • Inland Revenue Department (80.2%) 
  • Cancer Control Agency (79.7%) 
  • Land Information New Zealand (78.0%) 
  • Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (77.1%) 
  • Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (75.2%) 
  • Ministry for Women (71.4%) 
  • Ministry of Health (71.4%)

Onsite order for public service

The survey was carried out less than a month after the New Zealand government issued an instruction for public servants to return onsite.

In its updated guidance on flexible work, the government said it expects:

  • Working from home arrangements in the Public Service are not an entitlement and should be by explicit agreement between an employee and their employer.
  • Working from home arrangements should only be agreed to where they will not compromise the performance of employees, their teams, or their agencies.
  • Agencies should actively monitor the prevalence and impact of working from home arrangements and be able to regularly report to the Public Service Commission about the number and nature of the agreements they have in place, including having a clear understanding of the impact these agreements will have on particular days of the week.