The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) explored whether allowing more public servants to work from home could help address fuel supply issues and reduce costs, but was advised against the approach. In March, MBIE wrote to the Public Service Commission seeking guidance on changing flexible work and work-from-home rules as a potential response to fuel challenges.

The Public Service Commission's report to the Public Service Minister, dated March 27 and subsequently released, concluded that having public servants work from home full-time would be "very unlikely" to ease fuel supply issues or meaningfully reduce fuel prices. The commission advised that such a policy would be difficult to justify given its limited impact on the broader fuel market, recommending that public sector departments and agencies continue using existing flexible work arrangements instead.