Civil Service Regulation Amended to Introduce 30-Minute Grace Period

The Civil Service Regulation has been amended to introduce a 30-minute grace period for civil servants, allowing employees greater flexibility when unforeseen circumstances prevent them from reporting to work at the official start of the working day.

The amendment, introduced on Thursday, adds a new ‘buffer time’ provision to the regulatory framework governing the civil service. The measure allows employees to adjust their working hours without obtaining prior approval on days when exceptional circumstances prevent them from arriving at the office on time.

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Under the revised regulation, civil servants who use the 30-minute buffer period must provide a reason for their late arrival and notify the Human Resources section, or follow the reporting procedures established by their respective institution, before the end of that day’s official working hours.

The regulation states that employees who arrive after the 30-minute buffer period has expired will be officially recorded as late.

Employees are also required to make up any time used during the buffer period by extending their working day accordingly. For example, if official working hours begin at 8:00am and an employee arrives at 8:15am using the buffer time, they must continue working until 2:15pm instead of finishing at the standard time.

The Civil Service Commission has operated under regulations first introduced in 2014. Including the latest amendment, the regulations have now been revised 19 times over the past 11 years.