Jacob Rees-Mogg was called “condescending” after leaving notes deemed passive-aggressive on government officials’ desks in an attempt to stop them from working from home.
As part of his campaign to return office workers, the cabinet minister toured Whitehall’s buildings and published a table of government departments based on staff numbers.
It has now become clear that he has also distributed printed cards that have been left on empty desks in the office where he is.
The notes, supplemented by an official government coat of arms, read: “I’m sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon. With all good wishes, dear MP Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Jacob Rees-Mogg’s printed note to government officials who are not at their desks. Photo: @ dinosofos / Twitter
The Conservative MP is the Minister of State for Brexit opportunities and the effectiveness of the government, a new role created for him. His job gives him a seat at the cabinet table and puts him in charge of civil service reform, but leaves him without a department to lead.
Last week, Reese-Mogg wrote to fellow cabinet ministers asking them to “send a clear message to government officials in your department to ensure a speedy return to the office.”
Pro-government newspapers such as the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph are also urging employees to return to work after two years, when many office workers stayed home due to the pandemic.
Although Reese-Mogg’s messages were circulated to government officials last week, they only became public after a photo of a note was posted on Twitter by podcast producer Dino Sophos.
Dave Penman, secretary general of the FDA, which represents government officials, said the remarks were “the most rude, condescending act I’ve ever seen from a minister.”
He said there was no justification for fixing the Reese-Mogg for forcing people to start traveling again:
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Penman said the government “sounds crazy while the rest of the economy is embracing hybrid work.” Many civil servants are already sharing offices, while flexible working was relatively common before the pandemic.
Reese-Mogg argues that pushing government officials back to the office would help realize the “benefits of personal, collaborative and wider economic benefits.”
There is some evidence that working from home has caused problems for the government during the pandemic. Rafael Marshall, a whistleblower who revealed the government’s mistreatment of the Afghanistan crisis last August, told parliament that the shortage of staff at the foreign ministry was “exacerbated by some employees working from home, which hampers communication”.
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