Dorset Council has delayed a return to the office for the majority of its staff – in response to increasing Covid infection numbers.

A week after ‘freedom day’ on July 19 the majority of its office-based staff are continuing to work from home and are now likely to do so until at least the end of September.

At the start of lockdown the council had around 2,500 people working from home and around 2,000 continuing to work in outside jobs including social care.

Although numbers vary day to day the council says it now has around 600 people working from one of its main corporate offices.

It says that in view of the new Government guidance and with cases of Covid-19 still rising, it is asking employees to continue to work as they are until the end of September when the situation will be reviewed.

Said Cllr Peter Wharf, Portfolio Holder for Corporate Development and Change: “We do have colleagues working from a variety of places, including the office and at home, and are following measures to help keep residents and our employees safe.

“In the future, we will be encouraging more hybrid working and giving colleagues more flexibility about where they work. For now, we’re suggesting that any wider return to the office is gradual and cautious, so we can keep services going as we have done over the last 17 months and reduce transmission of the virus.”

In May, when the council last asked employees for their views on how often they would like to work from an office, more than half (51%) said just a few days a week rather than every day.

The council says that letting people choose how they work at the moment is not practical: “For example, the guidance says we should avoid people working directly opposite each other. Our current Covid secure arrangements allow us to do this – however, removing restrictions to welcome more people back means we couldn’t. It would also be harder to manage risks in communal areas and we wouldn’t be able to open the smaller meeting rooms that are currently out of use,” said a statement from the authority."

The council will encourage staff in customer-facing roles to continue wearing face coverings as well as asking visitors to council buildings to do the same. Plexiglass safety screens and hand sanitiser will remain in place and enhanced cleaning regimes will continue.

Said Cllr Spencer Flower, Leader of Dorset Council: “Many will welcome the removal of restrictions and more freedom to go about their lives as they wish. However, the pandemic is not over: Covid-19 continues to carry risks for us all and numbers of cases are rising again across the country and here in Dorset.

“The safety of our residents and our staff is our top priority and we are appealing to everyone to respect our arrangements. The people of Dorset have been great at playing their part and following the rules over the past 17 months, and we’ve had lower rates of Covid-19 than many other areas as a result. Although the Covid-19 rules are no longer law, they still provide very important guidance for us all.”

The council says that on July 21, the latest figures available, there were ten employees unable to work because of having to self-isolate with others continuing to work, whilst isolating, because they can do so safely from home.

Changing working patterns has meant the council has already vacated a number of buildings, including Allenview House in Wimborne and Princes House and South Walks House in Dorchester. It may yet leave other buildings with a review the office estate underway.