APS copped Omicron summer surge as COVID case numbers grew 20-fold

New figures show the number of public servants who contracted COVID grew from 570 to 12,200 between December and February as the more infectious strain of the coronavirus spread rapidly through the nation and restrictions lifted.

Nearly 8 per cent of federal public servants had COVID or had recovered from it by February 11, according to data from the agency overseeing the public service's workforce.

There were 74 new COVID-19 cases reported by public servants for the fortnight ending December 3, compared to 1560 new cases reported in the fortnight ending February 11. The public service commission survey does not collect information on how COVID was contracted.

The surge in cases will test plans inside federal agencies to manage the impact of COVID infections on staffing and employee workloads.

However the public service commission said it was not aware of infections causing significant disruptions to federal workplaces.

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UNSW Canberra public sector workplace expert Sue Williamson said the figures showed a phenomenal rise in case numbers among public servants.

"It really does highlight the importance of maintaining office hygiene, and good workplace health and safety issues and social distancing," she said.

"COVID is still here, the pandemic is still here."

Associate Professor Williamson said public service managers were experienced in managing staff absences, however the case numbers suggested these had increased over the summer.

"It could lead to work intensification, which is a danger because we know that at the start of the pandemic, and throughout 2020, APS employees were working very hard and with a level of intensity, and people are tired now," she said.

"And so if people are still experiencing work intensity and picking up the work of their colleagues, that could really impact employee well being."

A recent study found federal bureaucrats battled through COVID-related burnout and that the large-scale adoption of working from home during the pandemic had "come at a cost".

Associate Professor Williamson said a combination of personal COVID plans - preparing employees to hand over unfinished work to colleagues if they became sick - and larger-scale preparations from teams and employers would minimise the impact of infections.

"Underpinning all of this really is good communication between organisations, managers, and employees," she said.

"And also ensuring that people can work from home and they can work hybridly. So if people are feeling unsafe about going back into their usual workplace, having that opportunity to work from home, so they can limit their exposure to COVID is really, really important."

The public service commission has told agency heads they are responsible for their agencies continuing to deliver essential services through COVID, and to update their "business continuity plans", including "risk management contingencies".

The ACT government brought forward the end of density limits last month, signalling the end of large-scale work from home arrangements for many Canberra workplaces including public service agencies.

Public Service Minister Ben Morton said the ACT's lifting of restrictions would remove a major barrier preventing a return to offices for public servants.

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