ammonnews.net

Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - As part of its ongoing support to Jordan to address the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, the European Union (EU) will start training Jordanian public institutions on the newly released ‘Back to Work’ guidance, to safe workplaces when public servants return to work on 26 May. Through its ‘Support for Improvement in Governance and Management’ (SIGMA) project, the EU aims to train 100 public institutions.
On 12 May, the Prime Ministry circulated the ‘Back to Work’ manual for Government institutions – the first of its kind among the SIGMA beneficiaries. It provides the basis for a safe return to work, by preparing employees to take prevention measures that will safeguard public health and sustain service delivery to citizens.

The manual – prepared for public sector departments, employees and recipients of services – was developed by the Civil Service Bureau, in cooperation with the Institutional Performance and Policy Development Directorate in the Prime Ministry, the Institute of Public Administration, and the EU-funded SIGMA project.
Virtual training for Human Resources, Administration, Communications and Performance Development personnel will start on Thursday 14 May.

The ‘Back to Work’ manual will help public bodies prepare a post-confinement operational roadmap and the drafting of plans to manage the return to on-site work in Ministries and Agencies. It includes: cleaning and disinfecting public facilities; developing road maps for gradual re-activation of service delivery; developing communication plans for both employees and citizens; and developing monitoring mechanisms and feedback channels for continued improvement.

The manual can also be used as an inspiration for each institution to draft its own guidebook, based on their specific needs.

A joint initiative of the OECD and the European Union and fully-funded by the EU, SIGMA has been supporting the Jordanian Public Administration since 2008. During the COVID-19 outbreak in particular, SIGMA provided support to the Civil Service Bureau to develop the ‘Teleworking Manual’, which provided practical guidance to civil servants on key issues related to information security, prioritization of tasks and boosting their wellbeing at home.