With Cyprus preparing to implement a new teleworking framework across the public sector in early 2026, discussions at the University of Cyprus (UoC) over its own remote working policy are attracting significant attention.
The developments locally are unfolding against a backdrop of national legislative change, potentially making the university’s choices a bellwether for the broader public sector.
At the UoC, teleworking was established as a formal practice after the pandemic, under a 2022 regulation that allowed staff up to 40 teleworking days per year, roughly three days per month.
That number, once seen as generous and progressive, has now become the subject of intense internal review. University officials and staff representatives are examining a range of scenarios.
Among the options being considered are a slight increase in the annual allowance to 45 days, but there are also strong proposals for a substantial reduction to as few as 22 or even 15 days.
These calls for cuts stem from concerns among administrators about perceived abuse of the system by a portion of staff.
Another scenario being discussed is a move away from a uniform teleworking regime to one that differentiates entitlements by category of staff, reflecting the diverse nature of academic, administrative, and technical roles.
An equally important issue under scrutiny is the status of staff groups excluded from the original 2022 framework. Specialist scientists, temporary employees and people with health conditions were not covered, and still must seek individual exceptions for teleworking.
Revising this process, so that such arrangements would not require a separate request each time, is under consideration, as the university seeks to build a more inclusive policy.
Proposals from the advisory committee are expected to be tabled in early January, with a formal decision to be made by the University council in mid-January.
The university’s debate comes as Parliament in Nicosia has moved forward with legislation to regularise remote work across the public service.
In November, the House of Representatives passed a law that allows people employed in the broader public sector to work from home under a hybrid teleworking scheme.
The law provides that civil servants and other public employees can split their time between remote work and physical office attendance, so long as the nature of their duties allows it and they have the approval of their supervisor.
Those whose work requires constant physical presence, such as shift workers, are excluded.
Employees wishing to telework must be issued an official office computer before they can do so, and participation remains voluntary.
A highly debated element of the legislation is the proposed limit of four teleworking days per calendar month for each public sector employee, a restriction introduced through an amendment tabled by the ruling Disy party.
Parliament’s finance committee heard arguments both for and against this cap. Supporters of the limit said it would standardise practice across departments and guard against excessive remote work, while critics warned that it could unfairly restrict employees with disabilities or serious health needs who might benefit from greater flexibility.
Opposition MPs also questioned the constitutionality of the cap, arguing that placing a strict limit on remote days could encroach on the executive authority that should rest with the Council of Ministers.
Tension between the branches of government over teleworking policy continued into December, when President Nikos Christodoulides referred certain provisions of the teleworking law back to Parliament on constitutional grounds.
In response, lawmakers agreed that the Council of Ministers, not the legislature, should decide the detailed rules on how many days civil servants can work from home, after initial implementation and evaluation of the scheme.
Government officials have indicated that the Cabinet plans to set a limited number of days initially, with room to adjust as experience with the system grows.
Teleworking in the broader public sector has also been shaped by discussions within parliamentary committees earlier in 2025, when MPs examined draft provisions covering health and safety, eligibility, infrastructure needs and oversight mechanisms.
Trade unions voiced concerns about how decisions would be made, while officials emphasised that the Council of Ministers would determine the number of remote days, ideally after consultation.
Employers’ organisations weighed in as well, pointing out a contrast between the public sector bill and the existing 2023 law governing telework in the private sector.
The latter imposes strict health and safety obligations on employers and requires risk assessments and protective measures for remote workspaces, obligations that the proposed public sector framework does not mirror.
This, some argued, could create unequal treatment between sectors, even though employees in both face similar remote-work risks.
The broader public sector reform agenda, under which the teleworking legislation falls, is linked to the EU’s recovery and resilience Plan 2021–2026, which includes measures to modernise the civil service and make working practices more flexible and digitally enabled.
As the UoC reviews its own teleworking policy in the coming weeks, and as final regulations for public sector remote work are prepared by the Council of Ministers, the choices made at both levels will help define how teleworking is perceived, administered and balanced with operational needs when the new framework takes effect in February 2026.
