CSC allows ‘more flexible’ 4-day workweek in government

MANILA, Philippines — Government agencies may implement a four-day workweek policy subject to certain conditions that would ensure continuity of public service, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) announced.

The agency yesterday released Resolution 2600838 that provided amendments to its 2022 resolution on flexible work arrangement for government workplaces.

Government employees may “condense the mandatory 40-hour workweek into four days” and agencies “have the flexibility to set their own daily hours and designate the extra day off, provided employees still complete 40 hours a week and public services remain fully available from Monday to Friday.”

It also established clear guidelines for when holidays or unexpected work suspensions overlap with the compressed schedule.

“If a holiday or suspension falls on a scheduled 10-hour workday, the hours are considered fully served, and employees do not need to make them up except for 24/7 essential frontline skeleton forces…”

It added, “if a disruption lands on an employee’s designated day off, the remaining workdays for that week temporarily revert to the standard eight-hour schedule. If a suspension is declared after a 10-hour shift has already been completed, those hours remain valid and will not be retroactively adjusted.”

CSC Chairperson Marilyn Yap declared the amendments to the flexible work schedule in government “align with ongoing efforts to modernize public sector work, promote employee well-being, and maintain service excellence.”