Government also plans to move towards assigned seating where possible
A shortage of office space has forced Statistics Canada to stagger the rollout of its four‑day in‑office mandate, putting the government body in line with other agencies that have delayed their return-to-office mandates for the same reason.
In a statement to staff, StatCan said the transition to the new onsite requirements would begin on July 6, but not all locations would change at once because there are not enough workspaces, reported CP24.
“Due to space constraints, our move to four days per week or 80% for all employees will be staggered, beginning with offices ready to welcome this increased presence,” the agency told workers, according to the report.
Employees in the National Capital Region, Montreal, Sherbrooke, Toronto and Vancouver will be exempt from the initial four‑day mandate and will instead be required onsite three days per week. Workers in Edmonton, Halifax, Sturgeon Falls and Winnipeg will make up the first wave of staff required to be in the office four days a week.
New attendance rules and office configuration
Alongside the staggered rollout, Statistics Canada is tightening its attendance rules and office use. Beginning 6 July, all workers will be required to be onsite on either a Monday or a Friday, regardless of whether they are on a three‑day or four‑day schedule, CP24 reported. The move is intended to avoid mid‑week clustering and to ensure in‑person presence at the beginning or end of the work week.
The department also said it will move towards assigned seating where possible. This will formalise desk allocation for at least some employees and reduce reliance on shared or unassigned desks, subject to space availability in each location.
These changes are being implemented in the context of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s new directives, announced in February. Under those directives, public service executives must work from the office five days per week, and, as of 6 July, all other public servants are required to be onsite a minimum of four days per week.
Previously, a Global Affairs Canada (GAC) memo noted similar pressures as the main hindrance to bringing workers back to the office.
A shortage of office space has forced GAC to delay its planned move to four days in the office for most unionised staff, according to a CBC report. The department is postponing the shift because it does not have enough workspace to support the change, and renovation projects at its headquarters and regional offices are further reducing available desks and offices.
Unionised staff at GAC are currently required to be in the office three days a week and had been preparing to move to four days in line with the Treasury Board directive requiring unionised federal public servants to be onsite at least four days a week starting 6 July. Instead, an internal memo obtained by Radio‑Canada and reported by CBC says those employees will continue to report to the office three days a week “for an indefinite period of time” because of a shortage of desks and “ongoing renovation work that is limiting available workspace.”
Beginning Sept. 15, at least one of an employee’s three in‑office days must be either a Monday or a Friday, according to the report.
Impact of RTO mandates
The federal government is pushing on with its RTO mandate even as experts have warned of the negative impacts it would bring.
One report from Enhancv, a leading global resume building platform, noted that 72% of employees suspect RTO is a "stealth layoff" designed to drive voluntary attrition and reduce headcount without the cost of severance packages.
"When 72% of your workforce believes a policy is a trap to make them quit, the 'culture' you are trying to build is already gone," says Volen Vulkov, co-founder of Enhancv. "What we are seeing is a shift from contribution to self-preservation. The office is no longer a hub for collaboration. For many, it’s now a staging ground for the Great Exit."
Meanwhile, Julie Cafley, Executive Director of Catalyst Canada, said: “Despite a lack of access, our findings show that Canadian employees want the option of flexible work arrangements.
“Canadian employers have an opportunity to strengthen workplace culture, employee satisfaction and key business outcomes by embracing flexibility.”
The push to get employees physically back in offices has sparked a crisis in retention and recruitment, with employers reporting productivity challenges even with on-site work, according to a previous survey.
