Federal civil servants are mandated to return to work 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 and 60 percent of their regular schedule, in the spring.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, said the change was intended 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 have now found that there needs to be more fairness and equity in our workplaces and we need consistency in how hybrid working is applied across the federal government.”

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

The move represents a change for some departments, although many public servants are already working in person several days a week.

Need for “justice and fairness”

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

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

During this period, Fortier said she identified inconsistencies in approach, primarily through what she described as “fairness and justice” in the system.

“I understand that there have been conversations and mixed comments…we have informed the unions of this new management decision, that the workplace is an employer’s right.”

The union calls the decision “dishonest”

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

Carr also said her union received an hour’s notice for the announcement.

“Hearing the Minister say…the decision was to serve Canadians, and not to provide specific examples [about how]is one of the things that I find a bit dishonest,” she said.

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

“They get paid for the work they produce, not where they produce it,” Carr said of his members.

“To fulfill this mandate, they will bring in the civil service [Government of Canada] work centers or workplaces and sitting at computers and doing the exact same kind of work.”

WATCH | PSAC President Chris Aylward called the new in-person work mandate for public servants “a knee-jerk reaction”:

Back-to-office mandate ‘disrespectful’ to public servants, says union president

Public Service Alliance of Canada President Chris Aylward called a new in-person work mandate for public servants a “gut reaction” from the federal government.

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

“We see this as an ill-planned, knee-jerk reaction by the government that does not have the best interest of workers or Canadians at heart, and it is completely at odds with the direction this government is heading in on labor. from a distance. .”

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

“For the Treasury Board to unilaterally change the terms and conditions of employment of our members and impose a mandatory return to the offices is a flagrant 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 that’s certainly 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 decision a “slap in the face”.

President Greg Phillips said the timing of the announcement, “occurring right in the middle of a nationwide virus cocktail of three viruses,” is concerning, noting the current strain on the healthcare system.

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

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

“The federal government is Ottawa’s largest employer, and having a clear vision for the future of its workforce is essential for our local economy,” said Sutcliffe.

“When officials return to government offices, it will be good for both our transit system and our city centre.”

The departments will have the latitude

Fortier said departments will have the latitude to decide whether they require employees to work between 40% of the time in the office and 60%.

The new model will be applied across the core public administration, and it is strongly recommended that separate agencies adopt a similar strategy.

Certain exceptions will be made in a very limited set of circumstances and will require management approval, the press release adds.

“If it’s about ticking a box on workplace presence, not our performance, or the work we produce, I really have to question the logic,” Carr said.

“Especially the amount of savings they’ve made during the pandemic that they could achieve by saving taxpayers’ money.”

Immunocompromised employees will always be able to request an accommodation.

“As has been the case since the start of the pandemic, employees can be assured that effective measures continue to be taken to protect their health and safety at work,” the press release said.

Downtown Ottawa Businesses have long decried federal workers who no longer come to town to work. But the government refrained from saying that it would eventually bring all employees back to the office five days a week.

“Blend work is the future of public service,” the statement said.

WATCH | The manager of a downtown bar hopes to increase his business with the return to work:

Downtown bar manager hopes for business recovery with return to work

Dominique Labelle of Chateau Lafayette in downtown Ottawa says she expects a return to a “somewhat normal” existence when officials return to the office two to three days a week.