Survey shows lack of space, privacy marred back-to-office experience

Internal feedback from managers within the federal department responsible for overseeing public servants' gradual return to the office reveals they had their own concerns about space, cleanliness and technology last fall.

Radio-Canada filed an access to information request for responses submitted by Treasury Board managers surveyed shortly after the three-day-a-week mandate took effect on Sept. 9. (Managers must now be in the office four days a week.)

The request yielded 24 reports covering a brief period from Oct. 31 to Nov 9. A shortage of workspace was a common theme, particularly when it came to rooms for meetings, impromptu discussions or sensitive conversations.

"Not enough office space to collaborate in teams as the members are not sitting together, not enough quiet space to take calls," wrote one respondent.

• Federal public servants vie for prized co-working spaces to avoid downtown commute

One manager said office space was particularly hard to come by on Wednesdays. Others noted conflicts arose when employees occupied desks without booking them first, and several respondents mentioned the need for noise-cancelling headphones.

Unreliable internet and equipment in meeting rooms arose as another source of frustration, as did a shortage of available parking for both vehicles and bikes.

Cleanliness of common areas was another theme, though one respondent asked that carpet cleaning not be done during the day.

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Federal public servants were expected to be back in the office three days a week starting Monday, but the transition in Ottawa was anything but smooth.

CBC and Radio-Canada have reported on some of these concerns, many of which were predicted by the employees and their unions.

• Public service union calls for investigation into return-to-office mandate

Of the 24 reports, nine managers said their teams were experiencing either minor problems or none at all, though one acknowledged a general malaise among returning workers.

"For the most part the transition from 2 to 3 days has been smooth," one wrote. "We have noticed a dip in [morale] and employees are mentioning the emotional and mental load has increased with commuting to the office 3 days per week."

How attendance is set, tracked

Of the 24 respondents, 11 said their offices had no set days of the week on which employees must be in the office, while nine had one designated in-office day. Only one had established a mandatory schedule of three in-office days.

Responses varied widely on the subject of tracking attendance, though they provided few details. One mentions "monitoring onsite presence through emails and trackers." 

• How does the government track who's in the office? It varies by department

Eleven of the 24 respondents said in-office attendance was at 90 to 100 per cent, and seven said it was in the 80 to 90 per cent range. Two managers reported in-office attendance at just 60 to 70 per cent.

The Treasury Board oversees about 70 departments and agencies. As of the end of March 2024, the department itself employed about 2,500 staff.

A Treasury Board spokesperson told Radio-Canada that overall, the return to the office has been successful, and improvements are being implemented where necessary.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada's regional vice-president for Quebec, Yvon Barrière, told Radio-Canada he believes federal public servants are generally unhappy, and called for more remote work opportunities.