Scottish Government Lacks Data on Civil Servants' Hybrid Working Compliance

London, United Kingdom Aug 28, 2026 ALN: The Scottish Government no longer knows whether thousands of civil servants are complying with its own hybrid working policy, The Herald can reveal.

A significant change in the data collected by officials means SNP ministers and senior civil servants have no way of determining whether staff are meeting the target of spending at least 40% of their working week in the office.

Government chiefs are also not routinely informed whether line managers are monitoring attendance or taking disciplinary action against staff who repeatedly fail to meet expectations at directorate level.

The disclosure comes as Scotland’s top civil servant, Permanent Secretary Joe Griffin, seeks to increase office attendance requirements across government.

Internal briefing notes seen by The Herald show Mr. Griffin has asked officials for advice on reaching an agreement with trade unions around raising the hybrid working target to three days per week, warning that maintaining the “status quo” was not recommended.

The move forms part of a wider review of hybrid working across the Scottish Government, despite officials no longer collecting data which shows whether the current policy is being followed.

More than 9,000 core civil servants worked for the Scottish Government at the end of June this year.

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Since October, staff have been expected to spend at least two days per week in the office. However, the target is not formally enforced and attendance levels have consistently fallen below the threshold.

Freedom of information disclosures obtained by The Herald reveal the Scottish Government has now stopped collecting the attendance data used to track whether core civil servants are meeting the 40% requirement.

Earlier this month, The Herald revealed that attendance figures would no longer be published, meaning the public could not determine whether the policy was being complied with.

New information shows the Scottish Government has gone a step further and stopped recording the figures entirely.

"The Scottish Government did collect information from October 2025 to January 2026," an FOI response said.

The Scottish Government offices in Victoria Quay, Edinburgh (Image: Newsquest)

"We no longer collect this information and cannot fully respond to your request."

The Scottish Government said collecting data on core civil servants would represent an increased security risk to staff and “endangers the health and safety of all individuals in accessing the buildings,” citing a case that began before the hybrid policy was introduced and in which the Scottish Information Commissioner later backed withholding detailed daily building-entry data.

Instead, the Scottish Government collects occupancy data for all staff in the building to assess it against workplace capacity.

It means that the occupancy data is higher as it includes figures for all staff – contractors and agency workers – rather than just core civil servants.

In June 2026, the occupancy rate at Victoria Quay, in Edinburgh, was just 27%, while Saughton House was 29.5% full based on the statistics for all staff.

But in January, before the Scottish Government stopped tracking how many core civil servants worked from the office, the average monthly percentage at Victoria Quay was 12.1%. In Saughton House, the average attendance for core civil servants was 8.2%.

Out of Office - our pledge to expose how your money is being wasted on empty civil service buildings. (Image: Damian Shields)

Atlantic Quay in Glasgow was 32.5% full in January among core civil servants – but that figure was 70.8% in June when other staff were factored in, demonstrating how the newer measures produce substantially higher rates.

The Herald is investigating the waste in the Scottish Government’s return to work strategy, with Out of Office – a pledge launched last week – exposing how taxpayers’ money is being wasted.

Mr. Griffin set out a new five-year plan this week, stating a new “location policy” will be published next year to balance the business needs with flexibility and inclusion.

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Mr. Griffin said: “Modern technology offers great opportunities and can support a better balance between work and personal life.

“At the same time, we undoubtedly benefit from being able to spend time together in person, with stakeholders and communities.”

Earlier this year, he admitted there were “shortcomings” with the hybrid working policy following “compromises” with trade unions.

He admitted that enforcing or tracking the policy would cause “conflict” with trade unions.

UK Government staff are told to work from the office at least three days per week.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “As previously stated, building occupancy data supports effective estate management, including ongoing building closures and cost reduction priorities.

“It is not suitable for assessing hybrid working, as it does not capture staff working with stakeholders in the community or in non-Scottish Government buildings such as the Scottish Parliament.

“A consultation process is now underway with trade unions considering how the current hybrid working policy is working, our approach to measuring its effectiveness and how it may be improved.”