The Canadian government's new policy to have federal civil servants work three days a week in the office takes effect Monday. But government unions vow to keep resisting the policy change.
Ottawa hoping to convince reluctant civil servants of the benefits of working from the office | CBC News | Daniel Leblanc:
August 26, 2024 - "The federal government is preparing to welcome a frustrated workforce back to its offices on Sept. 9. Under a new policy announced in May, federal civil servants will have to spend at least three days per week in the office, while executives will have to spend at least four. Currently, civil servants are required to be in their offices only two days per week.
"Federal employees' unions say most civil servants oppose the planned reduction in telework and report struggles with transportation and work-family balance. Many also say they're more productive when they work from home....
"Christiane Fox, deputy clerk of the Privy Council Office, told Radio-Canada the new policy will improve the overall performance of the federal public service and help individual civil servants advance their careers.... The government may also be hoping that bringing civil servants back to their offices can improve the public service's reputation — which has been damaged by a perception in some quarters that employees are taking it easy when they work from home. 'Of course, we can't ignore the perceptions and the comments that are made about the public service,' said Fox, adding that is not the rationale for the decision....
"Many bureaucrats are reluctant to spend more time at the office and accuse the federal government of failing to properly explain its decision. Some argue the policy is meant to revitalize the downtown cores of Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., where businesses and restaurants are still caught in the post-pandemic doldrums.
"Civil servant Audrey Groleau said she mostly works online with colleagues elsewhere in the country, whether she is at home or in the office. Going to the office limits her ability to manage her family life effectively, she said.... Laurence Dufour, another civil servant who works in Gatineau, said she does not see any major benefits to working three days a week in the office — but anticipates the return of many inconveniences. 'It's going to cost us more in parking, in food, in transportation,' she said.
"Access to remote work exploded during the pandemic and quickly became popular among public servants....
"[F]ederal unions have vowed to keep up the resistance and are promising ongoing protests in the lead-up to Sept. 9. Civil servants failed to mobilize in large numbers against the new policy over the summer, but unions are promising a long-term fight.
"'We've filed unfair labour practice complaints, we've filed grievances, so that's going to continue. And if this isn't solved and if we don't see a willingness to modernize and adapt on the part of this employer, this is going to be an issue in our next round of bargaining, which we're now preparing for in 2025,' said Alex Silas, national vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
"A senior Liberal official has said that civil servants should avoid making waves about the new office policy because it could give a political edge to the Conservative Party in the next election. Silas quickly rejected that argument. 'The Liberal government should have a higher standard than just saying, "Well, at least we're not as terrible as the Conservatives." Do better, Liberals," said Silas.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/public-service-telework-pandemic-1.7303267
Canadian public servants fight back-to-office order | CBC News: The National | September 2, 2024:
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