The transition back to a four-day office week is still postponed for roughly 10 percent of unionized federal public servants due to insufficient workspace, as reported by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).
Federal workers were generally expected to return to the office for at least four days a week starting July 6.
This requirement, referred to as RTO4 and announced in February, raised the in-office obligation from three days a week, which had been in effect since September 2024, leading to increased office attendance and related economic activity.
Since May, executives have been mandated to be present in the office five days a week.
PSPC, responsible for managing the offices of around a hundred government departments, aims to reduce the 10 percent figure to five percent by the end of March 2027.
“PSPC will continue collaborating with organizations to optimize current office spaces and quickly provide additional facilities as necessary,” stated PSPC spokesperson Michèle LaRose in French.
“Due to the scale and complexity of the federal real estate portfolio, the requirements for space will keep evolving,” remarked Mohammad Kamal, director of communications for the Treasury Board president, in an interview with Radio-Canada.
As of late March, the federal public service employed over 345,000 individuals, which translates to roughly 34,000 employees who are unable to meet the government’s requirements.
Departmental examples
Workers from Statistics Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and the Immigration and Refugee Board are still reporting to the office three days a week for the moment.
Statistics Canada anticipates that it will have sufficient office space to accommodate its employees in the National Capital Region for four days a week beginning mid-November. However, no timeline has been established for employees located in Montreal, Sherbrooke, Que., Toronto, and Vancouver.
Statistics Canada employees will continue to go to the office three days a week for the time being. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Global Affairs Canada, which had already delayed returning to in-person work for four days a week, reported that around 55 percent of its employees in the National Capital Region will maintain a three-day in-office schedule.
The agency is uncertain when these employees will be able to adhere to the four-day office return, but mentioned that regional offices have adequate space to fulfill the requirement.
IRCC plans to accommodate all National Capital Region employees four days a week starting in mid-October, although most employees in other locations will still be required to work in the office three days a week.
PSPC aims for 90 percent of its workforce to be physically present four days a week by January 2027.
Both Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) confirmed that they meet the office presence requirements.
Assigned seating update
In May, the federal government pledged to reinstate assigned seating for the majority of its public servants.
However, PSPC indicated that facilitating the four-day in-office requirement is currently being achieved “through assigned or unassigned workstations.”
Out of the 11 departments and agencies reached out to by Radio-Canada, only Statistics Canada and GAC confirmed that most of their employees would have an assigned seat.
“For a public servant who has to search for an office at the beginning of the day, it’s a waste of time, and it’s time that they aren’t utilizing to serve Canadians,” stated Sean O’Reilly, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.
“The allocation of spaces does not justify this enforced return to the office,” commented Sharon DeSousa, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
DeSousa expressed in a written statement that the four-day office return policy remains inconsistent and does not enhance services for Canadians.