Flexible working hours system goes into effect

AMMAN — President of the Civil Service Bureau Khalaf Hmeisat has said that instructions governing a new system for civil service working hours have been issued in the Official Gazette and have, accordingly, gone into effect. 

He explained that the new system is aimed at improving the performance of public servants and increasing their productivity, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Outlining the system, he underlined three types of changes to the traditional working day. The first is that employees are allowed to select the time their working day begins from a number of alternatives, while the instructions allow for part-time work, provided that weekly working hours under such a regime are not less than 21 hours, which is half the official weekly load under the Labour Law.

Employees are now allowed to work outside the office and send their assignments via e-mail or submit it personally, according to Hmeisat.

He noted that the new instructions apply to all civil servants who have completed the trial period, while pregnant women, people with disabilities and employees who tend to a sick family member or study at university can benefit from the new system, even if they have not completed the three-month trial.

The new rules do not apply to civil servants who work on a shift system or those occupying top-category jobs and leadership posts, according to Petra.