Simply 34 employees took day by day journey to £22m Welsh Authorities places of work which has 409 desks

Tons of of desks had been left empty by civil servants at Welsh Authorities places of work price tens of millions of kilos this yr, figures present.

The £22million Welsh Authorities HQ at Llandudno Junction, Wales, was constructed for 650 employees with 409 desks in 2010.

However solely 34 employees a day attended the headquarters between January and Could this yr, with many selecting to work at home.

And in Cardiff, South Wales, solely 415 civil servants went into places of work the place there are 2,697 desks.

It comes after Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin urged Whitehall staff to stop working from home and mentioned the ‘default place’ needs to be working collectively within the workplace.

The £22million Welsh Authorities HQ (pictured) at Llandudno Junction, Wales, was constructed for 650 employees with 409 desks in 2010

A Welsh Authorities spokesman mentioned: ‘Having the flexibilities of workplace, distant and hybrid working can improve productiveness, enhance work-life steadiness, and ship carbon discount advantages.

‘To make sure workplace area throughout our property is successfully used we’re providing accessible area to different public our bodies. 

‘We proceed to discover choices for sharing capability additional as we glance to construct on our current preparations.’

The Welsh Authorities has already leased some area to different public sector employers just like the Scholar Loans Firm, NHS Collaborative, North Wales Financial Ambition Board, and the Senedd Fee.

However Tory MS Janet Finch-Saunders mentioned: ‘We should always all be getting again to work. Individuals count on you to be at your desk, they do not count on you to be at house.

‘The Welsh Authorities must be extra proactive by way of attempting to get folks again to work.’

It comes after Cupboard Workplace minister Jeremy Quin urged Whitehall employees to cease working from house and mentioned the ‘default place’ needs to be working collectively within the workplace.

In Could, simply 29 per cent of employees on the Division for Atmosphere, Meals and Rural Affairs (Defra) turned up at its Marsham Road places of work in Westminster.

And the figures had been barely higher on the London headquarters of the Home Office (31 per cent), Division for Enterprise, Vitality and Industrial Technique (32 per cent), HM Income and Customs (additionally 32 per cent) and International Workplace (34 per cent).

The departmental information for the week commencing Could 29 have to be put within the context of it being the half-term holidays for colleges and the Home of Commons.

However common occupancy for these 5 departments over the entire of Could was nonetheless solely at round 50 per cent for all of them – ranging between 43 and 56 per cent.

Considerations had been additionally raised over the speed of sick days being taken with no notice amongst Whitehall employees.

Ministry of Defence data present 35,065 sick days had been taken within the final yr with no notice, regarding 2,112 staff.

Common occupancy for these 5 departments over the entire of Could was nonetheless solely at round 50 per cent for all of them – ranging between 43 and 56 per cent. Pictured: The Cupboard Workplace

Freedom of knowledge requests by marketing campaign group the TaxPayers’ Alliance additionally discovered Defra employees took 1,218 days with no sick notice, the Division of Well being and Social Care had 954, and the Cupboard Workplace 308.

Guidelines state employees should present a sick notice if they’re off unwell for greater than seven days in a row. 

A authorities spokesman mentioned it was ‘dedicated to making sure we clamp down on non-compliance’ over sick depart.

For many employees, their said office is an workplace location – however the division’s hybrid working coverage applies to all staff.

For a small variety of employees with well being or different circumstances similar to disabilities, the division has a person threat evaluation course of to handle exemptions.

A Authorities spokesman advised MailOnline right this moment: ‘There may be settlement throughout authorities on there being clear advantages from face-to-face, collaborative working and departments stay dedicated to having employees working in places of work at pre-pandemic ranges.’