Jordan govt rolls out remote work policies over virus fears

AMMAN - Head of the Civil Service Council, Minister of Labour Nidal Bataineh, on Saturday authorised ministers to facilitate remote work at their respective ministries in accordance with the nature of jobs and their geographical distribution.

In a circular, the minister said that the decision was taken with the public's interest in mind and within the framework of preventive measures implemented by the government to prevent the spread the novel coronavirus, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The circular stated that the decision includes jobs that do not necessarily require staff to be at the workplace, and tasks that can be accomplished remotely at the discretion of the concerned ministers.

It added that the provision of remote work must ensure the smooth functioning of work and that services remain unaffected.

The circular noted that the ministers should determine the specific jobs that can be accomplished remotely no later than the end of official working hours on Monday, March 16.

According to the circular, employees included in the ministers' decisions must abide by reporting to their workplaces if the nature of their work requires their presence at any time.

Additionally, employees must not work for any other party during official working hours and must implement the orders and directives of seniors according to administrative hierarchy.

Employees must also perform their work themselves and maintain confidentiality and the privacy of documents and data, and must not turn off their communication channels.

Department heads must report regularly to secretary generals or their representatives in accordance with administrative hierarchy, reporting employees’ performance in accordance with agreed upon deadlines, operational plans and decisions issued by competent authorities.