Starting Sept. 11, federal employees in Ottawa and Gatineau will be required to report to the office more often under new hybrid work rules. Essential public service employees will now be required to be in the office at least three days a week, with managers required to be in the office four days a week.

“Working on-site enhances collaboration across teams and facilitates learning,” said a letter from John Hannaford, Clerk of the Privy Council, and Bill Matthews, Secretary of the Treasury.

The new rules require all essential public service employees participating in the hybrid program to work on-site at least three days a week. This also applies to those previously allowed to work remotely, including IT and call centre workers.

The new requirement will affect 282,152 people. Departments outside the essential public service are encouraged to adopt a similar strategy to create a unified approach across the federal system.

The government explains the new rules by saying that personal presence facilitates more effective interactions, speeds up the adaptation of new employees and creates a strong productivity culture, which in turn contributes to improving the quality of services provided to citizens.

Exceptions may be made for employees hired remotely before March 16, 2020, indigenous peoples for whom location is critical, as well as those who live more than 125 km from the workplace. Temporary exceptions for operational reasons are also allowed.

Federal trade unions continue to challenge the new requirements.

Anastasia Chupina