'This change is being made for better in-person collaboration and communication'
Manitoba Hydro will require most hybrid employees to work in the office four days a week starting Oct. 6, a change that has prompted strong opposition from the union representing many of its staff.
Employees on hybrid arrangements will be expected to attend the office from Tuesday to Friday, with Mondays remaining as an optional work-from-home day for eligible positions, according to an email to CBC. The change removes Wednesday as a remote option for staff who currently work from home two days per week.
CBC notes that the new pattern will apply to employees who already qualify for hybrid work under Manitoba Hydro’s current policies. Monday will continue as a possible work-from-home day where duties allow, but hybrid staff will otherwise be required to be on-site the rest of the week.
In-person collaboration, communication
The utility has framed the move primarily as a collaboration strategy, aimed at concentrating teams on-site for most of the workweek. Manitoba Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura told CBC that “this change is being made for better in-person collaboration and communication,” and said some teams have already shifted to four days in the office “with great success.”
However, the corporation has not yet released detailed metrics to support its claims about improved collaboration or performance, relying instead on broad statements about the perceived benefits of in-person work.
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.
Unions push back against RTO
Union leaders say the change at Manitoba Hybdro is unpopular among staff, raising red flags for engagement and morale.
Daniel Schroeder, first vice-president of CUPE Local 998, told CBC there will be additional costs, such as full bus passes and monthly parking, and the union intends to use the implementation window to push for modifications, including “giving us back that Wednesday.”
In a 27 March bulletin to members, CUPE 998 president Michelle Bergen said the union “is against the corporation’s position that the hybrid work model should be eroded,” arguing that hybrid arrangements have become a core element of the employment proposition for Hydro staff.
Bergen emphasised that, from the union’s perspective, the decision was unilateral and insufficiently consultative. “This decision was not done in consultation with the unions,” she wrote, noting that CUPE 998 learned of the move through the employer’s bulletin issued the same morning.
