Aberdeen museum and gallery workers have been told to get back into work – only days after the council’s chief executive was blasted for her Marischal College attendance.
The P&J understands staff in the Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums (AAGM) service were last week asked to head back to the workplace where they can “make the greatest impact”.
The communication came just days after we reported on the long-distance management of chief executive Angela Scott.
Our freedom of information request showed Mrs Scott, who lives in Dundee’s leafy west end, only made it to the office 53% of the working week between April and October.
That is down from 76% before the Covid pandemic.
While the council’s highest earner is only at the Aberdeen office 2.5 days a week, others like planning chief David Dunne attend even less.
But now, it’s the curators, archivists and guides working at the local authority’s museums and the art gallery who are being hauled back in.
Aberdeen City Council: Museum and gallery staff need to be where they can ‘make the greatest impact’
A council spokesman told us: “Our arrangements are managed with a focus on the needs of the role, the specific services and our communities.
“Flexible working has always been available to all council staff, where appropriate. This also forms part of our legal obligations to consider flexible working requests.
“This is a service that prides itself on outstanding public engagement programmes, directly working with and caring for works of art, historical artefacts and documents, providing access to stored items, exhibitions of the city’s collection and caring for cultural buildings.
“[As a result] we have asked all staff to base themselves where the primary focus of their role makes the greatest impact.
“The default is that the team will work from our public venues or our collection stores.”
Aberdeen art hunt could be boosted by return to work
It comes as efforts continue to whittle down the huge list of mislaid art pieces within the city collection.
Nearly 1,600 exhibits – worth £200,000 – were recorded as missing in 2021. It prompted a huge audit of the city vaults.
Nearly 400 artworks was found astray during the decant of Aberdeen Art Gallery before its £36.4 million revamp.
A missing painting by Joseph Farquharson, Spring in the Trossachs, was thought to be the most valuable AWOL item.
The city is spending around £140,000 on two art-hunting sleuths to track down the missing pieces.
When they revealed their planned art hunt in February 2022, the unaccounted list had been reduced to 1,300 pieces.
Then, council chiefs hoped the probe into the backlog would be completed by this May.
Work from home not off table for Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums staff
The spokesman said the council had discussed the change in attendance requirements with staff.
He added: “We have clear processes in place to allow concerns to be raised directly or anonymously, should that be preferred.
“Working from home is, and continues to be, an option in specific situations and based on the needs of the service.
“When personal needs arise, and where possible, we will support a colleague to alter their work pattern and commitments for a period of time.”
Revealed: How often are the top-paid brains running Aberdeen working from the city centre?
