The Regional Municipality of York plans to bring its employees back into the office more often with the advent of a mandated 50-50 hybrid work policy.
The region sent a message to employees Feb. 27 about the decision that will come into effect July 1. Currently, eligible employees are able to work from home except on designated “anchor days,” but the new policy will mean employees must work in the office at least two or three days per week.
CUPE 905 president Katherine Grzejszczak said the York Region union is disappointed. She said flexible arrangements are important, with some members living outside York Region due to costs.
“Our members already face an affordability crisis,” she said. “This is going to price a lot of workers out of being able to work in York Region and in the long-term, will have an effect on the region being able to recruit talent.”
About 60 per cent of York Region workers fall under the flexible work policy, allowing them to work from home except for some designated days. However, the policy was considered a pilot and came under review by senior management, while regional council members raised concerns about empty offices brought about by hybrid work.
In a message to employees, senior management said they spent months reviewing the policy to figure out how to best balance virtual work with in-person opportunities.
The new policy states that employees must spend a minimum of two full days per week in the office, as well as 50 per cent of their pay period in the office. Multiple half-days will not work.
“A true hybrid work environment best meets the needs of council and our committees, helps to drive best practices and digital transformation and addresses our growing pressures to implement continuous improvement in service delivery,” the message from senior management to employees said.
One employee, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprimand, said the decision does not make sense.
They said that their team already works fairly independently and the current model works well.
“The explanation they’re giving for these things is nonsense,” they said.
They further said that it stands to impact many employees' lives, particularly those that have to travel farther or now have to mark arrangement for childcare.
The decision also happened without any particular consultation, they added.
Although the message from senior management did not delve into it, the employee said the decision likely related to the use of space. They said that the region could try to use less space and save money doing so.
“It creates a divide between the people making decisions like this and the people expected to live with them.”
The union is still considering its options in response to the decision, Grzejszczak said.
Regarding discussions about the use of space, Grzejszczak said that could be done in other ways, assuming a working model is already working well.
“With the housing crisis and space being so expensive in York Region, if there is an effective model in place where folks are working from home, and there is additional real estate, I’m sure the region could find great uses,” she said.
At least one regional councillor is considering that. Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas has put forward a notice of motion that would ask regional staff to review all regionally owned buildings to identify those that are underused and analyze if they could be repurposed for other priorities including supportive housing.
