Federal public servants will have to work in their offices three days a week starting this fall as part of a policy change that drew quick condemnation from the main union representing government workers.
The approach, disclosed Wednesday in a message to deputy ministers released to the media, is a shift from a model adopted after a major public-service strike last spring. Workers have had to be in their offices at least twice a week. The new rules set a minimum of three days.
Executives will have to work in the office four days a week as of September under the plan. Everyone else will have to perform on-site work at least three days a week as of Sept. 9.
“The approach is consistent with many provincial and territorial governments and private sector organizations,” said the message from Treasury Board Secretary Catherine Blewett and Jacqueline Bogden, chief human resources officer for the Treasury Board Secretariat.
Three days a week, the message said, reflects the benefits of consistent in-person interactions, including more effective collaboration, bringing new talent on board and building a strong culture of performance. The change would also bring a “greater fairness and consistency” to the application of hybrid work, the message said.
They acknowledged the announcement will mean an adjustment for some workers.
“Providing employees with this advance notice will help them make any arrangements needed to smooth transition to the new minimum in the Fall,” said the message.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada, representing more than 100,000 workers, swiftly condemned the announcement, with national president Chris Aylward saying, in a statement, that the union would be filing an unfair labour practice complaint and examining additional legal options.
“PSAC members are incredibly frustrated and angered by this announcement. In every corner of the country, we have seen how the current in-office requirements aren’t being consistently or equitably managed by most departments,” Mr. Aylward said.
“We hear time and time again from workers obligated to report to offices where instead of conducting in-person work, they spend all day on virtual meetings with colleagues across the country,” he said.
“Treasury Board’s decision is not just a misstep; it’s a failure by Canada’s largest employer to adapt, innovate, and truly lead in the face of change to the way work is done.”
A federal worker strike began April 19, 2023, when the government failed to reach new contract deals for agreements that expired in 2021, and more than 100,000 workers walked off the job. A tentative agreement was announced last May.
Treasury Board had previously told workers they had to be in the office for two to three days a week. However PSAC said, after last year’s federal workers strike ended, that management had agreed to review workers’ requests on the issue on a case-by-case basis.
PSAC and Treasury Board were also supposed to create a joint committee to review and update the telework policy last updated in 2020.
At a news conference earlier this week, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said a shift to three days a week would be good for the downtown core of the nation’s capital as well as public transit.
But Mr. Sutcliffe said there was also a need for the city to work with the federal government on a plan for downtown Ottawa, which he said had been disproportionately hit by the impacts of hybrid work.
He noted that the federal government is talking about moving out of many of its buildings in the downtown core.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, at the same news conference, said three days was a good start. “It’s always nice to see everyone go to work five days a week,” he said.
Turning to Mr. Sutcliffe, the Premier said, “How many days week do we work? Seven days?”
He said the goal of getting more workers into the core of the city is to support downtown Ottawa businesses and transit.
Ian Bailey