Unions representing federal employees are calling on the House of Commons to investigate a new mandate requiring workers to be in the office three days a week.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers, federal and otherwise, were moved from in-person offices and spaces to remote work settings.
Some employees were hired with the understanding that they could work remotely. Others took the opportunity to move away from the city to rural areas, for a number of reasons – not the least of which was a more affordable cost of living.
Over the past year, the Treasury Board, which manages federal employees, has been slowly trying to reintroduce in-office requirements for some federal employees.
In September of this year, a new mandate came into effect requiring some federal employees, notably those working in Ottawa, to be in the office three days a week.
Evidence doesn’t support return to office
Earlier this month, through an Access to Information request, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) learned that the Treasury Board’s own research did not conclusively support a return to office mandate.
READ MORE: PSAC angered by internal Treasury Board documents on telework
According to the Treasury Board’s own research remote work can improve job satisfaction, work-life balance, general well being and efficiency. Remote work also has benefits for employers who can reduce input costs by reducing the need for offices while also expanding the pool of potential employees.
“This government once had a vision to build a modern, productive, and inclusive public service, but they’ve thrown it all away for no valid reason,” said Sharon DeSousa, PSAC national president.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe welcomed the return to office for federal workers, citing the support it would bring to local businesses.
“The federal government’s the major employer in Ottawa, and so, they have a responsibility to the city and Canada’s capital to make sure we don’t have a hollowed out downtown core with a lot of boarded up storefronts,” Sutcliffe said in an interview with the CBC.
Return to office botched: says unions
Both PSAC and the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), which also represents federal workers, are calling on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates to investigate the Treasury Board’s three-day a week in office mandate and how that was implemented.
A statement from CAPE reads:
“CAPE’s members and other federal public sector workers have reported widespread failures in this mandate affecting their productivity and ability to do their jobs. This includes, but is not limited to, insufficient workspaces; inadequate equipment; insufficient lockers; limited meeting and collaboration spaces; health and safety violations; noisy office environments; privacy concerns from unprecedented surveillance measures; impact on stress and anxiety; work-life balance; and employee morale.”
In a letter to Marc-Olivier Girard, clerk for the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, PSAC said that not only did the return to office mandate contradict the federal government’s plan to reduce its office footprint by 50 per cent by 2034, but that also it contradicted the Treasury Board’s own research on the matter.
“While claiming to prioritize ‘fairness,’ the government has imposed a one-size-fits-none
mandate on the entire public service, even though their own research acknowledges
that this approach is ineffective,” the PSAC letter reads.
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