Lincolnshire County Council: Staff to continue working from home

It is understood some of the more than 5,000 employees of the authority were notified of the intentions on Thursday.

Chief executive of the council Debbie Barnes confirmed the decision, which she said was based on government guidance, a “need to promote the health and well-being of our workforce”.

The guidance states that employees who can work from home, should do so.

“The majority of our staff have been working very effectively from home since the pandemic and restrictions began back in March and we are confident they can continue to provide an excellent service from home,” she said.

“This won’t stop many of our staff like our social workers and others, from continuing their normal work patterns in visiting clients and those who need our support.”

Debbie said she the authority had already improved IT and technology for its workforce and would continue to ensure staff had the right equipment in place, were socially isolated and promoted good mental well-being.

However, she added: “We do recognise that not all roles can be undertaken from home and some workstations in a limited number of buildings will be adapted across the county for those who can’t work from home.

“We will take responsible measures to embrace social distancing and keep staff safe and healthy.”

Earlier this month, it was revealed that 266 of the council’s staff had been redeployed into other roles to help with the response efforts.