Before March 31, federal public servants are required to report to the office up to three days a week. This blanket policy announcement comes despite opposition from the largest public service unions..“We have rediscovered the value of shared in-person experiences that are essential to cohesive, collaborative and high-performing organizations," claimed an email sent to all departments on Thursday by Treasury Board Secretariat Graham Flack and the government’s chief human resources officer, Christine Donaghue..According to the email, public servants need to work in the office between two to three days per week, equivalent of 40% to 60%, of their regular schedule by March 31, 2023, at the latest.."Working together in person supports collaboration, team spirit, innovation and a culture of belonging. It helps teams build trust and learn from each other,” they said..Flack and Donaghue said they have seen a need for "consistency" in how hybrid work is applied to government jobs. They said it must reflect the "common values and shared commitment" to serving Canadians.."While departments and agencies are each unique, the experience of working in the public service or receiving services from it should be the same across the government and across the country. There needs to be fairness and equity across workplaces,” they added..Rumours of the return to office work swirled for weeks, to the displeasure of some of Canada's largest federal public service unions..“Let me be clear, any plans to unilaterally change the terms and conditions of our members’ employment and impose a mandatory return to offices would be an egregious violation of workers’ collective bargaining rights,” Public Service Alliance of Canada national president Chris Aylward said in a statement last week..Aylward said for many public servants, uncertainty about a return to in-person work was creating "anxiety and frustration." He said imposing a "mandatory and arbitrary" return to the office for all federal workers were "fly in the face" of Treasury Board President Mona Fortier's commitment to bargain in good faith with Canada's unions..In a Nov. 11, 2022 opinion piece posted in the Ottawa Citizen, Fortier said that virtual interactions, while convenient, are "poor substitutes for experiences that are essential to cohesive, collaborative and high performing organizations.".Fortier said her department was working to create a "coherent" approach across the federal government, allowing hybrid workspaces to be successful and sustainable. She said this approach would also make good use of government buildings, many of which have been mothballed since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Canada back in March 2022.."With requirements for less office space, it will reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions — both from our buildings and commuting," she said.
