Federal Workers Expected to Return to Office 4 Days per Week Starting in July

The federal government says all public servants need to return to working in the office at least four days a week starting this summer.

A Treasury Board message to deputy department heads published on Feb. 5 said executives are expected to work on-site five days per week starting on May 4, while all other employees will need to return to in-office work four days a week starting on July 6.

The directive applies to government employees in core departments and agencies under the Treasury Board. The federal government said other federal agencies such as the Canada Revenue Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency were “strongly encouraged” to take a similar approach.

Public servants switched to remote work during the pandemic, and the federal government moved to have employees return to the office two to three days a week in 2023. That policy was changed in September 2024 to require public servants to work from the office at least three days a week, with executives required to be in the office four days a week.

“The Government has put forward ambitious plans to deliver on priorities for Canadians and to strengthen our country,” the Treasury Board message said. “Working together onsite is an essential foundation of the strong teams, collaboration and culture needed during this pivotal moment and beyond.”

The message was signed by Treasury Board Secretary Bill Matthews, chief human resources officer Jacqueline Bogden, and associate chief human resources officer Francis Trudel.

The message also said Public Services and Procurement Canada will work with departments to make sure all employees have enough office space.

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) said in a Feb. 5 news release it had been kept in the dark about the move. The union said it was demanding to know why workers are being ordered back to the office after years of remote work and “demonstrated productivity.”

“This mandate isn’t about performance, collaboration, or service to Canadians,” President of PIPSC Sean O’Reilly said. “It’s about optics, imposed on a workforce already dealing with layoffs, budget cuts, and a workplace already in chaos.”

The union says that its leaders were told by Treasury Board representatives at a meeting on Jan. 30 that there was no information on when a new return-to-work order would be announced or what it would involve.

“That assurance now stands in direct contradiction to the government’s actions,” the union said.

PIPSC represents about 85,000 public sector employees.

The Canadian Press contributed to this article.