PM's plan to curb remote work for civil servants sparks online debate

Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs has ordered a review of how remote work is organized across Latvia's public administration, along with an assessment of options to expand in-person work. Proposals are due by September 1. The PM's communications adviser, Elīna Šverna, said the goal is to ensure an effective and full-fledged work process within state institutions.

Kulbergs stated that remote work practices introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic have remained too widespread in some institutions, creating difficulties for residents trying to reach officials or receive services. He said his own experience showed it was often hard to find staff working in person at state institutions, not only on Fridays but on other weekdays as well.

Online reactions

News of the plan sparked wide discussion on the platform "X". Some users argued remote work should be treated as an exception or a bonus rather than the norm, contrasting the current situation with pre-pandemic practice. Lithuania's president, who briefly worked remotely from abroad, was cited as a comparison, though participants noted this was a short vacation-period case rather than comparable to long-term remote work by civil servants.

Other users warned that stricter in-person requirements could push some employees to change jobs or even relocate, since many have moved away from Riga in recent years. Some argued the main criterion for evaluating remote work should be quality of output and results rather than physical presence in the office, citing examples of difficulty reaching certain remote employees, such as building inspectors.

By the end of the discussion, several participants converged on a middle position: remote work should not be banned outright, but each case should be assessed individually based on an employee's duties, availability and quality of work.