Present at Home, Productive at Work
31st March 2023
Victoria Mujunga, Associate Legal Officer, spends more than two hours per day commuting from Kampala to Entebbe and vice-versa. When she wakes up, she sees her three children for only a few minutes before they leave for school, and she begins her journey to the Regional Service Centre in Entebbe. Victoria’s husband is currently solely responsible for the children’s school runs.
As of 3rd of March, the RSCE launched the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on Flexible Working Arrangements (FWA) to promote a better work-life balance for Victoria and more than 400 staff while maintaining the efficient delivery of its services. The FWA was announced by the Under-Secretary-General for the Department of Operational Support, Atul Khare, during a physical townhall in Entebbe.
Victoria Mujunga, Associate Legal Officer, spends more than two hours per day commuting from Kampala to Entebbe and vice-versa. When she wakes up, she sees her three children for only a few minutes before they leave for school, and she begins her journey to the Regional Service Centre in Entebbe. Victoria’s husband is currently solely responsible for the children’s school runs.
As of 3rd of March, the RSCE launched the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on Flexible Working Arrangements (FWA) to promote a better work-life balance for Victoria and more than 400 staff while maintaining the efficient delivery of its services. The FWA was announced by the Under-Secretary-General for the Department of Operational Support, Atul Khare, during a physical townhall in Entebbe.
With FWA, Victoria believes she will be more present at home while being more productive and efficient at work. “It will enable me to balance my work and family responsibilities, so I don’t have to choose between both. When I feel fulfilled in all important areas of my life, I will be more satisfied at my job.”, she explained.
Staff will have to request flexible working arrangements through an FWA App developed by Regional Field Technology Services (RFTS) team. The app has to be filled out with the staff’s information, the FWA modality of their choice as well as a brief justification for the request, and then sent to respective managers for approval.
“I must emphasize that the purpose of providing justification is for security purposes. Managers should focus on the performance of their staff and not on where they are working from”, said the USG Atul Khare.
For the Director of RSCE Paulin Djomo, the Covid-19 pandemic taught us that FWA can be manageable in Entebbe. “If it has worked elsewhere, there is no reason it would not work in Entebbe. Recently a staff requested leave to resolve a family issue. Analysing her request, I advised her to apply for FWA, as I knew she would be able to work from home while taking care of her personal issues”.
The FWA should be agreed upon between staff and their supervisor and it is worth noting that it may not be suitable for all jobs and tasks. In addition, staff shall discharge their functions during the Centre’s core working hours, from 1000 to 1600hrs, regardless of the FWA modality of choice. In total, 40 hours of work must be completed per week.
There are four modalities staff and managers can opt on:
Staggered Working Hours: Staff shall be present in the office during core working hours and adjust the start and end times of their working day.
Compressed Work Schedule: Staff will be able to take a half or full day off by increasing the number of working hours per day.
Scheduled Break for External Learning: Staff will be entitled to breaks up to six hours per week to attend courses relevant to their professional development.
Telecommuting: Staff will be allowed to work remotely for up to three days within their place of assignment and up to three months away from their duty station. Telecommuting outside the duty station should be approved by the Director of the RSCE.
According to Victoria Mujunga, telecommuting will be the most beneficial modality for her since she will be able to work from home and spend more quality time with her children.
“I would occasionally be able to drop them off at their school or pick them up, meet with their teachers, and be present for their various activities both at school and outside. By spending more time with my children, I will be able to create a stronger bond with them. FWA would also help me deal with unexpected family obligations”, said Victoria.
Access on issuu.com/regionalservicecentreentebbe/docs/rsce_newsletter_edition_10/s/21864531
