All but one of Wellington's councils say they have no plans to change their working from home policies in wake of the government's recent clamp down for public sector workers.
On Monday, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis directed department bosses to tighten up arrangements for flexible working.
She said they should only be by agreement, should not compromise performance, and departments and agencies must regularly report on the number and nature of agreements in place.
Following the announcement, the Wellington Chamber of Commerce congratulated the decision and asked local councils in the Wellington region to follow suit.
RNZ asked Kāpiti, Porirua, Wellington, Hutt City, Upper Hutt and Greater Wellington Regional Council for their working from home policies.
Wellington City Council
A Wellington City Council spokesperson said their headquarters office staff were generally able to work from home a maximum of two days per week.
They noted that many workers such as librarians, parks and recreation staff and parking wardens could not actually work from home.
Working from home permanently was not a current option for WCC staff, they said.
The council does not operate any specific incentives to encourage their staff to work in the office.
The spokesperson said they anticipate that the new council office at 68 Jervois Quay would accommodate up to 1300 employees which would be sufficient when they took into account their current occupancy and remote working arrangements.
In a statement to RNZ Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau welcomed the central government encouraging people back into the city, but noted recent public sector cuts had not been helpful for the city.
"I hope central government will also move to give public servants more surety about their jobs going forward so they have the confidence to spend and support local business."
Porirua City Council
Porirua City Council chief executive Wendy Walker told RNZ that, similar to the government's messaging, working from home was not an entitlement.
"We allow up to two days a week by negotiation but if work requires you to come in on one of your regular working from home days then work is a priority."
The council was reviewing its policy, Walker said.
Porirua City Council is the only one of the six councils in the Wellington region which is looking to review its working from home policy in the wake of the government's recent clamp down for public sector workers. Photo: 123RF
Hutt City Council
Hutt City Council chief executive Jo Miller told RNZ working from home had never been an entitlement at the council, but they could allow it for some office-based employees.
"The expectation is that you work predominantly from your respective council workplace with the opportunity for some employees to work from home for up to two days a week, dependant on the role."
The council provided a variety of arrangements that allowed them to balance the needs of their business, as well as those of employees, Miller said.
"This does require some flexibility given needs can change from time to time due to individual and work circumstances."
Their arrangements were monitored to ensure they worked well for both the council and the individual, she said.
Upper Hutt City Council
An Upper Hutt City Council spokesperson said the council was supportive of staff working remotely up to two days per week.
"Due to the nature of some roles, remote working may not be feasible," they said.
"It is not an entitlement."
Council staff were expected to come into the office under the current policy and noted there were no plans to review their policy at this point, the spokesperson said.
Greater Wellington Regional Council
Greater Wellington Regional Council people and customer group manager Donna Hickey said their council had a flexible work policy that enabled working from home for two or more days a week.
Hickey said any agreement to work from home required the agreement of the manager and group manager.
"Expectations regarding working in the office or from home vary with the nature of individual agreements."
The council had no plans to encourage more people to work in the office more often, she said.
"After Covid, we have found that there has been a general move of staff coming back to our offices and we have good occupancy in all of our main office sites."
Kāpiti Coast District Council
Kāpiti Coast District Council people and capability group manager Rach Wells told RNZ their council had a range of flexible working arrangements available to staff.
"Providing the flexibility for our people to work in different ways is a key focus of our people and culture strategy.
"It also supports the achievement of our council's climate change aspirations."
Requests to work remotely were assessed on a case-by-case basis, Wells said.
The council was engaging in a piece of work to make sure their settings were right, she said.