Several federal agencies lag behind core public service on four-day return to office

Article content

Some agencies buck the trend

Article content

Some federal agencies have decided to not follow the direction of the large majority of the federal government.

Article content

The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Secretariat, for example, said it is “not affected by the new TBS direction.”

Article content

The agency works under a hybrid work model that “balances workplace flexibility” with the on-site requirement of handling “classified and sensitive information,” the agency said in a statement.

Article content

The agency is set to move to a three-day-per-week minimum requirement on Sept. 6 for employees who do not handle sensitive documents, which aligns with the group that already has a higher on-site presence, the statement added.

Article content

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research currently works on site for a minimum of three days a week, while executives continue to work four days a week in-office.

Article content

In a statement, CIHR spokesperson Maxime Lê confirmed that the agency will continue its current on-site presence policy.

Article content

“As an arm’s-length agency, CIHR has the flexibility to determine the approach that best meets its operational needs,” Lê said.

Article content

Article content

Polar Knowledge Canada has also “aligned its in-office requirements with operational needs,”  Marissa Kocent, Polar Knowledge Canada spokesperson, said in a statement.

Article content

Kocent added that the agency will continue the minimum requirement of three days per week in the workplace, while some locations and positions require additional on-site presence “based on operational requirements.”

Article content

The National Film Board also “maintains its own application of the regulations, tailored to the organization’s mandate and production requirement,” NFB spokesperson Magalie Boutin said in a statement.

Article content

Boutin said that for employees to have a permanent desk they must “be at least 4 days a week in-office,” while each department at the NFB has an “in-office direction according to their mandate.”

Article content

Two research grant councils also said they are increasing on-site requirements, but only to three days per week.

Article content

Both the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada said that the move to three days per week is to “align with the intent of the government and in light of physical space optimization considerations,” Mélissa Roy, SSHRC and NSERC spokesperson, said in a statement.

Article content

Article content

Both research councils, which operate as federal agencies, share an office space.

Article content

Some agencies limited due to office-space pressures

Article content

The Office of the Auditor General also lags behind much of the federal government, but it is largely due to office renovations.

Article content

OAG spokesperson Vincent Firgon said that OAG employees “are currently required to work on site two days per week, while executives are required to be onsite three days per week.” 

Article content

On Sept. 8, in-office requirements will increase to three days a week for employees and four days a week for executives.

Article content

The Communications Security Establishment has also been hand-tied by pressures on its physical office space.

Article content

Marie-Pier Baril, CSE spokesperson, told the Ottawa Citizen that more than half of CSE’s workforce works on site five days a week due to the “classified nature of our work.

Article content

“The organization is not in a position to move all employees to four days a week on site at this time.”

Article content

“Our intent remains to align with the broader prescribed presence requirement and we will continue to take a phased approach as capacity allows,” Baril said.

Article content

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Indian Oil and Gas Canada and the Correctional Investigator Canada did not provide comment on their return-to-office requirements by deadline.

Article content

Article content

Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed.

Article content