People employed in the broader public sector will be able to work from home, under a law passed at the House plenum on Thursday.

The government legislation provides for mixed teleworking, or hybrid work – a work arrangement where employees split their time between working remotely from a location outside the office and working from the physical office.

In order for a civil servant to qualify for teleworking, their duties must be compatible. This would be decided by the head of each governmental department or agency.

Ineligible for remote work will be employees working shifts, as they are required to be physically present at the workplace at all times.

In addition, civil servants must be issued an office computer. Working from home will be voluntary. Those interested will file an application to their superior.

Instituting remote work in the public sector was one of the milestones set for Cyprus, making it eligible for funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Under an amendment to the government bill, tabled by the Disy party, a person employed in the public sector may work remotely for a maximum of four days per calendar month.

In remarks on the House floor, Dipa MP Alekos Tryfonides welcomed the reform but also sounded a note of caution over how it would play out in practice.

He said there is a risk of creating a two-tiered system of employees – some supervisors might favour certain employees over others when approving requests to work remotely.

Similar concerns were expressed by the Elam party, which voted against the bill in whole.

“There are no filters or checks, while the authority of supervisors to decide which employees may work remotely could lead to abuse and favouritism,” said Elam’s Sotiris Ioannou.

In addition, no objective criteria exist in deciding which employees are eligible for such work.

“Plus, the state will not be able to check the work being done [from home],” Ioannou warned.

This could even exacerbate existing issues of productivity and the quality of service offered to the public.

For its part, opposition Akel voted for the bill, remarking that it would give the government “a chance” to implement teleworking.

Even though it voted for the bill, Akel said it is opposed to the four-days-a-month restriction on remote work.

This was unfair to people with disabilities, the party said.