Documents obtained by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) have sparked outrage within the union. Leaders say these documents show Treasury Board ignored data to implement its three-day in-office mandate.
“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.
One of the documents, released through an Access to Information request, shows the government conducted a review of various research findings on remote worker productivity and engagement.
Employee engagement was not concretely defined in the review. However, the research analyzed by the Treasury Board focused on employee attitudes, behaviours and their sense of connection to their work.
There were competing conclusions drawn in relation to employee engagement. The 2023 Public Service Employee Survey indicated hybrid and remote workers tend to be more engaged than those who work on-site. Similar conclusions were drawn in a 2020 study. At the same time, U.S. Gallup survey results from mid 2023 indicate hybrid and remote workers had not improved engagement since 2022. The government’s research review also indicated conflicting findings on remote worker productivity.
Remote work can create barriers to productivity, the review concluded. This is done by increasing communication costs, reducing time spent on training and mentoring and creating challenges to worker motivation. However, there are also benefits to both employees and their employer organization when remote work is available.
For employees, remote work can improve job satisfaction, work-life balance, general well being and efficiency, the review noted. For employers, remote work can reduce input costs by reducing the need for offices. Remote work also expands the pool of available talent and decreases hiring costs due to greater worker satisfaction.
The benefits of remote work directly address the concerns raised by unions in response to the three-day in-office mandate. Earlier this month, four public sector unions hosted a telework. Labour leaders at the townhall voiced concerns around work-life balance and mental health.
READ MORE: Federal Court to have full hearing on telework issue
The government said the three-day in-office mandate will help build stronger teams and cultures. In an email statement to rabble.ca the Treasury Board Secretariat said early experimentation with hybrid work underscored the value of in-person experiences, which are essential to cohesive, collaborative, and high-performing organizations.
A similar sentiment is reflected in the documents obtained by PSAC. A slide deck included in the access to information release showed 54 per cent of employees felt team building was best accomplished in person. However, the same slide shows 89 per cent of workers felt having the flexibility to choose where they work allows for a better work-life balance.
PSAC is using the findings from their access to information request to bolster its calls for the end of the in-office mandate. The union has previously called for telework arrangements to be made through a case-by-case framework. As such, PSAC is reiterating its calls for a more flexible approach to organizing telework.
“[The government] had the research and results supporting a more flexible approach, but decided that butts in seats is more important than productivity,” DeSousa said. “Their failure to follow the evidence on hybrid work is mindboggling.”
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