SARS Ends Work From Home Benefits As Staff Ordered Back To The Office In 2026

SARS Pulls Plug On Work-From-Home

After nearly six years of hybrid flexibility, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has officially called time on its work-from-home arrangement. From 1 January 2026, all employees will be required to return to the office full-time, marking a major shift in the organisation’s post-pandemic work culture.

The decision, confirmed by the Public Servants Association (PSA), follows months of internal discussions about how SARS’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP) should evolve to reflect changing business priorities.

A Policy Born In The Pandemic

Remote work was never part of SARS’s formal employment policy, but was introduced under Commissioner Edward Kieswetter during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, it was seen as a progressive step a way to modernise the workplace and attract skilled professionals through flexibility.

The arrangement, however, was always temporary. According to the PSA, SARS had made it clear that the work-from-home model could be revoked at the commissioner’s discretion.

“It was communicated that the arrangement could be withdrawn at any time; therefore, no formal dispute has been raised,” the PSA confirmed.

Still, the announcement has left many employees disappointed, especially those who had adjusted to the balance of remote work.

Union Pushes For Clarity

The PSA has since escalated the matter for discussion at the National Consultative Forum (NCF), seeking details on how SARS plans to align its EVP benefits with staff retention and reward strategies.

At the last forum meeting held on 27 October 2025, SARS reportedly failed to present its promised update on the EVP prompting the PSA to register its dissatisfaction. The union expects a more detailed briefing at the next session.

SARS, meanwhile, has yet to comment publicly on whether there will be exemptions or transitional arrangements for certain employees.

Return-To-Office Trend Growing Across South Africa

SARS’s decision reflects a growing national shift away from remote work. Over the past year, several major South African companies particularly in the banking, insurance, and corporate services sectors have moved back to full-time office attendance.

The move is often justified as a way to strengthen collaboration, maintain productivity, and rebuild company culture. Legal experts say employers are generally within their rights to end remote work, as long as such decisions are reasonable, transparent, and consultative.

What The Law Says

South Africa’s labour framework including the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) and Labour Relations Act (LRA) doesn’t explicitly regulate hybrid or remote work. Instead, guidance has come from rulings by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and the Labour Court, which emphasise that major policy changes must be fair and properly communicated to staff.

For now, thousands of SARS employees will need to start planning for life back at the office in 2026 signalling the end of one of the country’s longest-running public sector work-from-home experiments.

{Source:The South African}

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