Federal public servants mandated to return to office 2-3 days a week by March 31

The federal government will require public servants to work at least two to three days a week in person, or between 40 to 60 per cent of their regular schedule, in the spring.

At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Mona Fortier, president of the Treasury Board, said the change was to create a common approach to remote work for the federal public service.

“In-person work better supports collaboration, team spirit, innovation and a culture of belonging,” she said.

“We’ve now seen that there needs to be greater fairness and equity across our workplaces and we need consistency in how hybrid work is applied across the federal government.”

The one-size-fits-all hybrid model will come into full effect March 31.

This move represents a change for some departments, although many public servants already work in person several days a week.

Need for ‘fairness and equity’

To allow for a smooth transition, the government will use a phased introduction by Jan. 16, with full implementation by March 31, 2023.

Fortier said the government had decided to move to a hybrid system and told departments and organizations to experiment with different hybrid systems to find what worked and what didn’t.

Through that period, Fortier said they identified inconsistencies in approach, mainly through what she described as “fairness and equity” in the system.

“I understand that there were conversations and feedback shared … we informed the unions about this new decision from the management, that location of work is a right of the employer.”

Union calls decision ‘disingenuous’

Jennifer Carr, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which represents about 70,000 scientists and professionals working for government, said workers have been doing their jobs effectively from home and she is not satisfied by the reasons given for the mandate.

Carr also said her union was given a one-hour notice on the announcement.

“To hear the minister say … the decision was about serving Canadians, and not providing specific examples [about how], is one of the things that I find kind of disingenuous,” she said.

Carr said her members are also taxpayers and want the most efficient use of government money, alluding to past discussions around saving money by having public sector employees work from home.

“They are paid for the work that they produce, not where they produce it,” Carr said of her members.

“To meet this mandate, they will have public service come into [Government of Canada] work hubs or work locations and sit on computers and do exactly the same type of work.”

Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) President Chris Aylward echoed the sentiments of Carr, saying members have shown they can work remotely.

“We see this as a poorly planned and knee-jerk reaction from the government that doesn’t have the best interest of workers or Canadians at heart, and it’s completely at odds really with the direction that this government has been moving towards on remote work.”

He said the union is currently negotiating a new contract with the federal government and members want the agreement to include their right to work remotely.

“For Treasury Board to unilaterally basically change the terms and conditions of our members’ employment, and imposing a mandatory return to the offices, is an egregious violation of workers’ collective bargaining rates,” he said.

“When you go into collective bargaining, there is a freeze on terms and conditions of employment and certainly that’s not what we’re seeing here.”

The Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), which represents 23,000 workers,  released a statement after the announcement, calling the move “a slap in the face.”

President Greg Phillips said the timing of the announcement, “happening right in the middle of a nationwide viral cocktail of three viruses,” is concerning, noting the current strain being put on the health-care system.

In its statement, CAPE said it was co-ordinating a joint response with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), PIPSC and other bargaining agents.

In a brief statement issued Thursday afternoon, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe applauded the federal government’s decision.

“The federal government is the largest employer in Ottawa, and having clarity around the future of its workforce is critical for our local economy,” Sutcliffe said.

“When public servants return to government offices, it will be beneficial to both our public transit system and our downtown.”

Departments will have latitude

Fortier said departments will have the latitude to decide whether they require employees to work anywhere from 40 per cent of the time at the office to 60 per cent.

The new model will be applied to the entirety of the core public administration, with it being strongly recommended that separate agencies adopt a similar strategy.

Some exceptions will be made in a very limited set of circumstances and will need approval of management, the news release added.

“If this is about ticking a box about being present in the workplace, and not about how we’re performing, not about the work that we produce, I really have to question the logic,” Carr said.

“Especially the amount of savings that they have garnered over the pandemic and could garner in saving taxpayer money.”

Immunocompromised employees will continue to be able to apply for an accommodation.

“As has been the case from the outset of the pandemic, employees can be confident that effective measures continue to be taken to protect their health and safety in the workplace,” the news release states.

Businesses in downtown Ottawa have long decried federal workers who no longer come downtown to work. But the government has stopped short of saying it would eventually bring all employees back to the office five days a week.

“Hybrid work is the future of the public service,” the release said.

Downtown bar manager hopes for bump in business with return to work

Dominique Labelle of Château Lafayette in downtown Ottawa says she expects a return to a “somewhat normal” existence when public servants come back to the office for two to three days a week.

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