Fredericton allows public workers to choose remote, hybrid, or in-office work, citing benefits for talent recruitment and rural communities.
New In-Person Work Rules for Employees in Canada
For some employees in Canada, the new year brings new rules for in-person work.
As of January 1, government staff in Ontario must return to the office full-time. Alberta’s public service will also return to full-time, in-office work in February.
“All we’re asking is that people come back into the office like every other person that’s working out there, vast majority,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday.
Some other regions, including Newfoundland and Labrador, are reviewing their remote work policies.
In the Maritimes, the Nova Scotia government ordered 3,500 non-unionized employees back to the office in October 2024.
A spokesperson for the Public Service Commission told Global News that “any further changes” to remote work arrangements will be “communicated as appropriate.”
Meanwhile, New Brunswick government employees have three options: fully remote, hybrid, or full-time in-office work. The province views remote work as an “important tool.”
A statement from the province said that remote work arrangements are granted when “mutually advantageous to both employees and the employer.”
“Remote work helps us extend employment opportunities to all regions of New Brunswick, improve our competitiveness for talent, and maintain a presence in rural communities,” wrote communications advisor Mir Hyder.
“We continue to view flexible work arrangements as an important tool for talent recruitment and retention across the province.”
Moshe Lander, an economics professor at Concordia University, noted that just because Ontario and Alberta are ending remote work for their public service, it does not mean the Maritimes will follow.
“It’s [a question of] what does the voter feel that they should be getting from their government services,” Lander said.
He added that the in-person approach has become outdated in the workplace.
“I think especially since COVID, it’s almost impossible that someone is in the labour force today and is not familiar with Zoom or [Microsoft] Teams or other ways of linking up,” he said.
Federal public servants have been required to work a minimum of three days a week in-office, with executives in the office four days per week, since September 2024.
Several banks, including Scotiabank, have required staff to increase their presence in the office to four days per week.
Private sector companies have also made changes. For example, Amazon began requiring its corporate staff to be in the office five days per week as of January 2.
Summary of Work Policies
| Location | Policy Change | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Full-time in-office work | January 1 |
| Alberta | Full-time in-office work | February |
| Nova Scotia | 3,500 employees back to office | October 2024 |
| New Brunswick | Options: remote, hybrid, full-time in-office | Ongoing |
| Federal Government | Minimum 3 days in-office | September 2024 |
| Scotiabank | 4 days in-office | Ongoing |
| Amazon | 5 days in-office | January 2 |
