By CESAR JOLITO III

Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya has reminded city government employees that the implementation of the compressed four-day work week, particularly the work-from-home arrangement every Friday, is strictly for productivity and not an opportunity for leisure.

In a statement, Gasataya emphasized that employees under the scheme are expected to remain at home and continue completing assigned tasks, warning that sanctions await those who are found violating the policy.

“We have already issued warnings. This is work from home, not a day to go out or go on vacation,” the mayor stressed.

The policy forms part of the city government’s efforts to reduce fuel consumption and help employees save on transportation costs amid rising fuel prices.

Under the setup, non-essential offices under the Bacolod City government operate on a compressed work week, with Fridays designated for remote work.

However, the mayor clarified that Fridays remain an official working day, during which employees are required to comply with deliverables assigned by their respective department heads.

He also warned that personnel who are supposed to be working from home but are later found roaming outside or engaging in non-work activities may face administrative sanctions.

The arrangement was earlier adopted by the city government as a cost-saving and efficiency measure following the continued increase in fuel prices, affecting both government operations and commuting employees.

Under the new scheme, all city offices and departments will conduct onsite work from Monday to Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Every Friday, employees will shift to a work-from-home setup, specifically for tasks that can be performed remotely, such as research, policy development, data processing, drafting reports, email correspondence, and other computer-based functions.

However, frontline services, public safety units, health emergency response teams, and other essential services are authorized to adopt alternative schedules./CJ, WDJ