Unions unhappy but Manitoba corporation says change will support work-life balance, in-person collaboration
Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is ordering its employees to return to the workplace under a new hybrid plan to be implemented in February, according to reports.
CBC reported last week that the new hybrid plan will take effect on February 26, 2024, and will reverse the organisation's full-time remote work arrangement for some employees.
Currently, MPI has 619 employees remotely working as of November.
Under the new hybrid program, a certain number of these staff members will be asked to work three days in the office a week, then another two days the following week. Employees holding management roles will are expected to report to the office at least three days a week, CBC reported.
Only about 200 contact centre employees are exempted from the shift to hybrid work, according to the MPI.
Supporting work-life balance
MPI said its new policy will support "work-life balance while encouraging more in-person collaboration" among employees, CBC reported.
It added that its current policy on working arrangements has not always been clear, and that it puts "tremendous amount of ownership" on leaders to decide on work types.
A spokesperson from the MPI told CBC that the new policy will align the organisation with the other arrangements of other Manitoba corporations.
However, it noted that the new NDP government nor MPI's board of directors didn't dictate the new plan but expressed support over it.
Unions dismayed
Reacting to the new policy, the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU) expressed disappointment with the upcoming change.
MGEU president Kyle Ross said many of its members are "upset about the change in work arrangements at MPI."
"We understand that this will affect their day-to-day lives," Ross said as quoted by CBC.
The change comes just weeks after unionized workers at MPI ended their nine-week strike after voting to accept a new four-year contract that guarantees wage increases of at least 13% over four years.
"We would have expected that they would do everything they could to rebuild relationships and not further upset their workforce," Ross said.
