Taipei, New Taipei introduce flexible working hours for civil servants

台北市、新北市公務員採彈性上下班時間

Twin cities seek to disperse commuter crowds in light of domestic COVID outbreak


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Flexible working hours will be implemented for civil servants in Taipei and New Taipei from Monday (May 17) until May 28 to prevent large community transmissions of COVID-19, the Cabinet-level Directorate-General of Personnel Administration (DPGA) said Sunday.

In an attempt to disperse commuters during rush hours and decrease the risk of COVID-19 spread, the DPGA announced Sunday that it will allow civil servants in the twin cities to arrive at their workplaces between 7:30-10:00 a.m. and leave between 4:30-7:00 p.m. It expressed hope that the new working arrangements will help reduce the number of people taking public transportation at the same time.

The DPGA said government agencies are also at liberty to introduce an even more flexible working schedule for their employees if needed. Meanwhile, faculty and staff at schools in the twin cities will follow a different working pattern set by the Ministry of Education, it explained.

Epidemic restrictions in Taipei and New Taipei were raised to Level 3 on Saturday after Taiwan recorded an alarming 180 local COVID-19 infections. Under such an alert, unnecessary movement or gatherings should be avoided, and workplaces should implement personal and workplace hygiene management as well as initiate corporate continuous operation response measures, such as remote work and flexible working hours.