Civil Service Commission Introduces 30-Minute Arrival Buffer for Government Employees

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has amended official regulations to introduce a 30-minute arrival buffer, providing government employees greater flexibility when facing unexpected delays at the start of the workday. Under the new policy, staff members who arrive within 30 minutes of their scheduled start time will be marked as on time. To ensure the total number of required working hours remains unchanged, employees must extend their workday by the equivalent amount of time. For instance, a staff member arriving at 8:15 am for an 8:00 am start must remain at their post until 2:15 pm instead of the standard 2:00 pm closing time. This buffer can be utilized without prior authorization in the event of special circumstances. However, the CSC has established strict reporting requirements: any employee failing to arrive within this 30-minute window must immediately notify their Human Resources section and provide a valid reason for the absence. Once the buffer period has elapsed, attendance records are considered final and cannot be modified. The revised regulations also introduce specific attendance mandates for mosque employees to ensure the seamless operation of religious services. Imams are now required to be present at the mosque five minutes before each prayer time. Other mosque staff must arrive at least 15 minutes early to handle cleaning and preparations for worshippers. Furthermore, the regulation stipulates that mosque workers must spend a minimum of 30 minutes at the facility for every prayer session. To maintain administrative accountability, all mosque employees are required to log a minimum of five working hours per day.