The energy regulator has been criticised for adopting a hybrid work pattern that allows its staff to work from home most of the working days.
In internal Ofgem documents seen by the Mail on Sunday, it is stated that “colleagues will be required to work one to two days each week within their designated office”.
Critics have raised concerns about this working pattern as households and businesses are struggling to pay their bills this winter amid rising energy prices and blackout fears.
Joe Ventre from the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Taxpayers should not be paying for empty desks. Ofgem staff may want to work from home, but there can be no excuse for poor performance during a devastating energy crisis.
“The regulator must ensure that objectives are being met for the sake of hard-pressed households.”
An Ofgem spokesperson told ELN: “Ofgem moved to a full hybrid flexible working model across our four UK offices in March 2022 and aims to give staff the benefit of the office environment to maximise teamwork and a quite home environment to maximise productivity.
“Our staff continue to work relentlessly to protect customers during these very difficult times and it’s clear they can do just as well regardless of their location.
“Our Hybrid-model is now common practice across both the private and public sector; however, we keep it under review, including the number of days we ask staff to be in the office.”
