À quoi bon travailler du bureau? (English translation in comments)
ledroit.com/chroniques/patrick-duquette/2023/...Posted Jun 14, 2023, 12:52 PM UTC
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ledroit.com
It's a good thing absurdity doesn't kill.
The return to hybrid work for government employees was supposed to improve productivity, said Mona Fortier, the Minister responsible for the Treasury Board, last December.
She also claimed that teleworking had demonstrated its limitations and it was time to return to human interactions, justifying the "forced" return of employees to the office for 2 to 3 days a week.
All of this sounds good on paper.
But six months after the announcement, an internal survey conducted on behalf of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada raises doubts about achieving these objectives.
The parliamentary budget officer claims that the federal government could easily afford the annual salary increases of 4.5% for three years demanded by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) for 120,000 government employees.
A majority of respondents (61%) admit that they are less productive in the office than when they were teleworking. Why? For many reasons, but among them, they no longer have dedicated workstations. The majority, 65%, have to share their workspace with colleagues...
But that's not the most absurd part.
The gem of this survey reveals that even when employees go to the office, they still have to work remotely. In fact, 80% of meetings would continue to be conducted virtually, according to the survey.
In that case, what's the point of working from the office?
Why bring employees back to the office if they are asked to participate in a Zoom or Teams call that they could have done from home?
"At first," a friend who is a government employee confides in me, "I went to the office in person to see my team members. But my team only showed up halfway, so to have everyone present, we ended up having meetings on Teams. Just like before..."
Find the error!
Under these conditions, why doesn't the Treasury Board simply allow employees to continue teleworking? Traffic on the roads and bridges would be relieved, and the environment as well. Not to mention that it would facilitate work-life balance for thousands of households in the greater Ottawa-Gatineau region.
"When I go to the office in person," my friend continues, "I easily lose at least 2 hours of my day in preparation, commuting, and so on... Whereas at home, I get up and, 5 minutes later, I'm working on my computer. And since we're talking about productivity, in my basement office, I'm not distracted by conversations with my colleagues!"
If the Treasury Board has data that demonstrates increased productivity in a hybrid work model, it's time to publish them. Otherwise, Minister Mona Fortier should relax the rules. And admit that teleworking is the norm—except in cases where physical presence at work is absolutely essential to fulfill the government's mission.
The return of employees to the office was also meant to help revitalize downtown businesses, which have been severely affected by the pandemic. A commendable objective in itself. However, it is now realized that teleworking is a significant trend. People have become accustomed to it. Those who telework in the city enjoy living in their neighborhoods. That's where they want to work, shop, and engage in leisure activities... It is the commercial offering that must adapt to this new reality and get closer to its customers! Teleworking provides an unexpected opportunity to reshape our cities on a more human scale.
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