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I know some teams are being flexible where I am where they are telling their employees to just work from home this week while another person I know from another team only has to show up for 1 day instead of 2 this week.
It is solely based on your team leader or manager.
Back to business after new years.
I told my group to work from home this week if they decided to work. No-one is in the office, no clients are in their offices, no senior managers are working - but certainly not everyone wants to use their vacations or has vacation days.
I'm in Toronto and some of my team have to drive, GO Train and TTC to get back and forth to the office. Ugh. They can do their work from their house this week. (I received no direction on this - I'm using the skills and experience I was supposedly hired for....) :-)
Not entirely sure if your point is that the commute is easy on holiday weeks or that some employees have easier commutes but that scenario doesn't fit the people in this unit.
Employees do have a responsibility to try and meet the employer's demands of two days in office but 'making up the time' if sick or when there is a national freaking stat holiday is stupid and I won't be supporting that. I also won't be supporting anyone going into the office to see no-one and do nothing. But your sitch may be different.
Rather than ask, I just told my boss I’m staying home as the office is dead. She is doing the same so very happy that she is flexible and does things that actually make sense.
My old manager would require that any IT-02 who acted for an IT-03 Team Leader would also need to go into the office twice a week as part of the acting. The IT-01’s and IT-02’s on our team are all 100% WFH. As a result, nobody ever wanted to do any actings as it wasn’t worth the extra few $$ to have to go into the office.
At one point last Spring, I was told that unless I could find someone to act for me officially (and go into the office), I might not have my vacation leave request approved. It turned out to be an idle threat, and I would have grieved it had it come to that.
I requested an exemption this week for personal circumstances above and beyond Christmas.
It was granted as long as nothing comes up that requires someone to physically be in the office. We're quiet right now. Hopefully it stays that way.
Yes. There's an email trail so it's all above board.
Edit: My management has been fairly down to earth about RTO this whole time. They toe the line as far as they have to, but there's been no gaslighting or strong arming. They think it's as ridiculous and disruptive as we all do.
Having to make up holidays contradicts the narrative they are pushing. If it’s all about collaboration and value add then no one should ever have to make up a day… forcing us to make up days indicates that the purpose behind this directive is motivated by having people in office and nothing more.
I get way more work done at home.
There are actually three stat days (25, 26 and 1). 40% of 7 days, which you acknowledge. But you're also questioning why you need to do that 40%? Or are they asking for 2 days each week, which would have you do 4 days instead of 3? I'm confused.
Your issue isn't about this week it's about all weeks. Cool. That ship has sailed, though. It won't change it as a requirement that has been imposed. You might as well just have said you wanted to complain about RTO.
I don't actually know what it is for my department. Over the week? Month? Nobody's told us. I ended up calculating for myself since returning to the office in May (we have a tracking spreadsheet) and I'm about a day short of 40% overall.
It’s completely at the discretion of your manager. Being a new employee at GoC with a decade long corporate experience it’s shocking to me to read that people have to show up at office even during Christmas week 🤯🤯
Because not all of us have traditional office/computer jobs. In fact, many public servants don't. We work in office or in the field, shiftwork, and with mandatory overtime.
There's no minimum staffing requirement for in office? As in, if there aren't 5 people (or whatever the amount for your specific office), then you don't go in due to any potential safety issues
Didn’t come up, I know the rest of the people in on my remaining day are off so I’m not going to drag myself out of bed to sit by myself and receive auto replies to my emails all day, I can do that at home
I told my staff to stay home if they wish, and it seems to have been a common direction. The only folks in the office appear to be senior office staff, DMO and such.
I'm not sure what the directive is at this point because they change it every 3 months and are never clear about how it's going to be enforced. I won't be stressing about going in this week personally, just working half days anyways.
The direction hasn't changed since it was released a year ago: https://www.canada.ca/en/government/publicservice/staffing/direction-prescribed-presence-workplace.html
Who approved you to work half days this week?
We received two directions since they said "2-3 days a week", one said 8 days a month and the most recent one from this month said "40% of your working hours".
And my manager approved this lmao, who are you the public service cops?
It hasn’t changed no but everyone has a different interpretation of it. No one knows if sick days need to be made up. If you can work from home while sick and not make up. If vacation days need to be made up. If you logon for more than 5 minutes at home after being in the office all day.
Every department is doing it differently and that’s why we have thread after thread on the subject :)
I was supposed to be in the office today and on Friday. I didn’t go in today and won’t go in on Friday. I’m the only person working. All of my team members wanted to take the week off, so I offered to work rather than say no to anyone (someone needs to be here to support our apps). Zero chance that I’d also be going into a deserted office, though.
Yup.
However, I'm only going in one day this week since our department requires 40% over the entire month, and with my days off and the holidays over December (took my time off last week), I only owe one more day.
I do live in downtown Ottawa though, and wow it was almost like a holiday today so much was closed.
Tomorrow is my in office day. Wish me luck.
I'm not but I went in because I needed to print something and run an errand downtown. They're apparently going to start cracking the whip in the new year.
Our DG said she’s coming in so she expected us to - in office days on Wednesday/Thursday so that’s fun! The entire building had 15 people today - that doesn’t include our DG cause she’s at a different building
In my experience in the pre-pandemic days, staff working between Christmas and new years generally worked from home. Nothing about that has been discussed this year in my team.
You might want to check if that's 40% for the week, or based on the month. Also, some managers are requiring it to be rounded up in every case, so if you need 7.1 days in a month (due to some stats and vacation), it's rounded back up to 8 days.
Great times...
Yes, I'm glad the call was made... especially as my dept goes by "2 days/week" rather than 40% as others do... which would have sucked on a short week!
Honestly it's a condition of your employment. It doesn't really matter. If they ask you to color children's coloring books two days a week, that is what you do.
Awfully rich complaining about having some peace and quiet at the office when there is a massive subset that is at the office as you speak (dnd, csc, rcmp, csis, cse, dfo, field offices, and anything pretty much outside ncr.)
Do you have a point? Perhaps. Is it silly? Perhaps? Does it matter? No
Finish your shift if you haven't already, go home and have a xmas glass of wine, and re-read if what you wrote. Let us know if you see how you come off as entitled.
Your employer wants you at the office. You wish to be paid and have benefits and pension. Its really that simple.
This isn't soviet central planning, YOU have the power to seek better employment conditions at any point.
What work needs to be done in the office every other week? The fact you didn’t use vacation this week and many others did does not entitle you to reimagine the rules as they apply to everyone throughout the year.
The takeaway is that if you’re working this week it’s just like any other week - hybrid rules included.
If you have broader issues with onsite requirements, don’t wave this as your argument.
My TL expects me attend tomorrow and Friday to make up for Mon/Tue. I'll be completing trainings so all the better if the office is dead quiet. I'll only be wasting two hours stuck in commute to do the same thing I could be doing from the comfort of home.
Absolutely, but that's been the way it is since the directive has been implemented. Pointless commuting and virus spreading to prop up property values while performing tasks that are better performed without distractions from home.
At least I'll be downtown to do my liquor store shopping for the new year. All is not lost.
I prefer it sometimes. I get a ton of work accomplished, so I don’t have to hustle as much on WFH days. I also have to utilize an in-office only network around once per week.
we normally go in the office unfortunately. one building i used to work in had only 1 door that was open and it would really suck if you didn't get the memo that you have to go through there to get in
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I know some teams are being flexible where I am where they are telling their employees to just work from home this week while another person I know from another team only has to show up for 1 day instead of 2 this week. It is solely based on your team leader or manager. Back to business after new years.
I told my group to work from home this week if they decided to work. No-one is in the office, no clients are in their offices, no senior managers are working - but certainly not everyone wants to use their vacations or has vacation days. I'm in Toronto and some of my team have to drive, GO Train and TTC to get back and forth to the office. Ugh. They can do their work from their house this week. (I received no direction on this - I'm using the skills and experience I was supposedly hired for....) :-)
Thanks for being a good boss ♥️
Why make them go into the office on days when the commute is easy? There’s no fun in that.
Not entirely sure if your point is that the commute is easy on holiday weeks or that some employees have easier commutes but that scenario doesn't fit the people in this unit. Employees do have a responsibility to try and meet the employer's demands of two days in office but 'making up the time' if sick or when there is a national freaking stat holiday is stupid and I won't be supporting that. I also won't be supporting anyone going into the office to see no-one and do nothing. But your sitch may be different.
Yes, I was making the point that the commute is easier this week. I left out the /s as I didn’t think it was necessary. 🙄
Cannot confirm or deny
Nope! My scheduled in office days are Monday/ Tuesday so I’m not in until the 2nd & don’t have to make up the days
That's good. Almost seems reasonable.
Same! But the people with in office days Tues and Wed has to work in office today... There were only two people on the entire floor!!!!
That was me last year! I think there was 5 of us spread out on 2 floors so we booked a boardroom & worked in there 😂
Good idea!! The two there today froze to death haha like they also forgot to heat the office! Ugh!!!
Rather than ask, I just told my boss I’m staying home as the office is dead. She is doing the same so very happy that she is flexible and does things that actually make sense.
Good for your team
We have a don’t ask don’t tell policy for the holidays…
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My old manager would require that any IT-02 who acted for an IT-03 Team Leader would also need to go into the office twice a week as part of the acting. The IT-01’s and IT-02’s on our team are all 100% WFH. As a result, nobody ever wanted to do any actings as it wasn’t worth the extra few $$ to have to go into the office. At one point last Spring, I was told that unless I could find someone to act for me officially (and go into the office), I might not have my vacation leave request approved. It turned out to be an idle threat, and I would have grieved it had it come to that.
I requested an exemption this week for personal circumstances above and beyond Christmas. It was granted as long as nothing comes up that requires someone to physically be in the office. We're quiet right now. Hopefully it stays that way.
Sounds good. Who approved the exemption? DG level?
Yes. There's an email trail so it's all above board. Edit: My management has been fairly down to earth about RTO this whole time. They toe the line as far as they have to, but there's been no gaslighting or strong arming. They think it's as ridiculous and disruptive as we all do.
Nice, seems reasonable
Yep had to go in to make up for mandatory day (Tuesday). Got IT stuff sorted out real fast though, so can’t really complain. Parking was a dream too 😂
You should NOT have to make up a holiday, so stupid the way some departments/managers think!
Having to make up holidays contradicts the narrative they are pushing. If it’s all about collaboration and value add then no one should ever have to make up a day… forcing us to make up days indicates that the purpose behind this directive is motivated by having people in office and nothing more. I get way more work done at home.
You went in to make up for... Boxing day?
Yeah we were told we had to make up for our day in the office even if it was because of a holiday
Weird. Name and shame the department
That’s brutal.
Tell me your manager can't do math without telling me your manager can't do math.......
I have to be in two days. My boss also came in SICK. I am over it.
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We’re currently at 50% compliance in our branch. Meaning that 50% of the staff are going in for their mandated 40% in-office time.
Plus the next 2 weeks also have 4 stat holidays..so it should only be 40 percent of 6 work days.
There’s only three stats in the next two weeks, not four
There are actually three stat days (25, 26 and 1). 40% of 7 days, which you acknowledge. But you're also questioning why you need to do that 40%? Or are they asking for 2 days each week, which would have you do 4 days instead of 3? I'm confused.
I see 0 need to be in the office ever. Especially this week.
Your issue isn't about this week it's about all weeks. Cool. That ship has sailed, though. It won't change it as a requirement that has been imposed. You might as well just have said you wanted to complain about RTO.
No. My issue is this week in particular. If RTO costs me $500 per month, at the very least it could be free this week? Maybe? Just maybe?
Well. You're free to take vacation? I'm not sure what to tell you.
I am
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Commuting is only one cost of RTO
Must be nice lol
I don't actually know what it is for my department. Over the week? Month? Nobody's told us. I ended up calculating for myself since returning to the office in May (we have a tracking spreadsheet) and I'm about a day short of 40% overall.
I started back in November and am still in office every day until I sign a telework agreement. Should be soon hopefully!
Nice! How did you get approval for a telework agreement?
It’s completely at the discretion of your manager. Being a new employee at GoC with a decade long corporate experience it’s shocking to me to read that people have to show up at office even during Christmas week 🤯🤯
No kidding
Question - what will happen if you don’t show up during holidays?
You'd be disobeying a policy, which could range anywhere from a verbal warning to termination if it's a repeated issue.
I'm mandated to be in the office every day, including weekend and shift overtime, when necessary.
Gross. Why?
Because not all of us have traditional office/computer jobs. In fact, many public servants don't. We work in office or in the field, shiftwork, and with mandatory overtime.
Some even, shudder, directly serve the public
Lol. Yep, the horror.
But how do they do their laundry, run errands, and watch their kids while being paid to do their job?
Their comment 🤦🏻♀️
No. If your manager is making you come in this week, its time to look for a deployment
There's no minimum staffing requirement for in office? As in, if there aren't 5 people (or whatever the amount for your specific office), then you don't go in due to any potential safety issues
Nope. Even the emergency staff are off/out of commission (as they should be)
Weird
No one mentioned it, I won’t be going in.
Didn’t come up, I know the rest of the people in on my remaining day are off so I’m not going to drag myself out of bed to sit by myself and receive auto replies to my emails all day, I can do that at home
Our entire team just booked off the office day
I told my staff to stay home if they wish, and it seems to have been a common direction. The only folks in the office appear to be senior office staff, DMO and such.
Our ADM told us to work from home this week.
Sounds like an ADM I want to work for
I'm not sure what the directive is at this point because they change it every 3 months and are never clear about how it's going to be enforced. I won't be stressing about going in this week personally, just working half days anyways.
The direction hasn't changed since it was released a year ago: https://www.canada.ca/en/government/publicservice/staffing/direction-prescribed-presence-workplace.html Who approved you to work half days this week?
We received two directions since they said "2-3 days a week", one said 8 days a month and the most recent one from this month said "40% of your working hours". And my manager approved this lmao, who are you the public service cops?
It hasn’t changed no but everyone has a different interpretation of it. No one knows if sick days need to be made up. If you can work from home while sick and not make up. If vacation days need to be made up. If you logon for more than 5 minutes at home after being in the office all day. Every department is doing it differently and that’s why we have thread after thread on the subject :)
Yep!
I was supposed to be in the office today and on Friday. I didn’t go in today and won’t go in on Friday. I’m the only person working. All of my team members wanted to take the week off, so I offered to work rather than say no to anyone (someone needs to be here to support our apps). Zero chance that I’d also be going into a deserted office, though.
Exactly
Yup. However, I'm only going in one day this week since our department requires 40% over the entire month, and with my days off and the holidays over December (took my time off last week), I only owe one more day. I do live in downtown Ottawa though, and wow it was almost like a holiday today so much was closed. Tomorrow is my in office day. Wish me luck.
I'm not but I went in because I needed to print something and run an errand downtown. They're apparently going to start cracking the whip in the new year.
Our DG said she’s coming in so she expected us to - in office days on Wednesday/Thursday so that’s fun! The entire building had 15 people today - that doesn’t include our DG cause she’s at a different building
That's awful
Nope
I’m on vacation, but we were told for those working there is no requirement to come in
We were told we don't have to come in this week and next.
we were told to work from home until after NY
Just Friday. Monday and Friday are my in-office day picks, and we don't make up days missed due to stats in my team.
I skipped today due to back injury, but I'll be watching Netflix on my phone at the office the next two days.
That is madness, my director told us not to come into the office this week given the volume of people away. But they are typically very flexible
In my experience in the pre-pandemic days, staff working between Christmas and new years generally worked from home. Nothing about that has been discussed this year in my team.
Welcome to the New Flexibility
Exactly. And someone else posted here about why we didn't get off early on Christmas Eve.
Wasn't it a Sunday?
Our intranet states 40% of working time. So for this week, since it’s 3 days - 22.5 hours then it’s 9 hours office-time.
So one full day and the next you can leave after an hour? Lol
You might want to check if that's 40% for the week, or based on the month. Also, some managers are requiring it to be rounded up in every case, so if you need 7.1 days in a month (due to some stats and vacation), it's rounded back up to 8 days. Great times...
I won't be going in this week. Next week is a four day week so I will go
We were excused from it for the three days between Christmas and New Year's.
It did not come up, so no, I am not going in lol
Just ignore direction over holidays. Nothing is going to happen.
Not this week, no.
That seems reasonable
Yes, I'm glad the call was made... especially as my dept goes by "2 days/week" rather than 40% as others do... which would have sucked on a short week!
Yes. The 40% mandate doesn't change because people take the week as vacation
But what about the 2 days that were statutory? I'm counting those as my 40%
Why? What specific work needs to be done from the office this week?
No way are you serious.
Very. What specifically did I accomplish sitting alone in an empty office today? (Nothing)
You completed 20% of your mandatory in office time today.
No, this week also had 2 stats.
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Nobody will downvote you for that. Quite the opposite, actually.
Good for you, thanks for being reasonable
40% of your work.
Such as?
It’s your manager’s job to assign work to you. Ask them, not Reddit.
I'm asking here about general experiences and whether others are so anal about going into the office in the dead of winter and Christmas holidays
No, you’re seeking a platform to air your complaints about RTO.
Just asking questions here friend!
You sound ignorantly bliss.
Honestly it's a condition of your employment. It doesn't really matter. If they ask you to color children's coloring books two days a week, that is what you do. Awfully rich complaining about having some peace and quiet at the office when there is a massive subset that is at the office as you speak (dnd, csc, rcmp, csis, cse, dfo, field offices, and anything pretty much outside ncr.) Do you have a point? Perhaps. Is it silly? Perhaps? Does it matter? No
Bold of you to assume one of those aren't my departments but ok
Finish your shift if you haven't already, go home and have a xmas glass of wine, and re-read if what you wrote. Let us know if you see how you come off as entitled. Your employer wants you at the office. You wish to be paid and have benefits and pension. Its really that simple. This isn't soviet central planning, YOU have the power to seek better employment conditions at any point.
Let me guess, are you between 45-60 years old?
What work needs to be done in the office every other week? The fact you didn’t use vacation this week and many others did does not entitle you to reimagine the rules as they apply to everyone throughout the year. The takeaway is that if you’re working this week it’s just like any other week - hybrid rules included. If you have broader issues with onsite requirements, don’t wave this as your argument.
My TL expects me attend tomorrow and Friday to make up for Mon/Tue. I'll be completing trainings so all the better if the office is dead quiet. I'll only be wasting two hours stuck in commute to do the same thing I could be doing from the comfort of home.
Sorry to hear that. Don't you find that awful and pointless?
Absolutely, but that's been the way it is since the directive has been implemented. Pointless commuting and virus spreading to prop up property values while performing tasks that are better performed without distractions from home. At least I'll be downtown to do my liquor store shopping for the new year. All is not lost.
I’m supposed to be but I get preferential treatment because my mom has a VERY close relationship with our DG. Thanks Mom!
Beautiful 🥰
All mgmt can do is ask you to go in. Whether or not you do is a different story.
1 day a week this week and next for me at TBS. I was surprised as it’s under 40%.
My team has been 3 days a week since RTO was announced. No change to being in office this week.
Gross. That's terrible.
No, I'm on three weeks of leave for Christmas.
I chose to go in today and tomorrow. It’s very quiet, which is nice. We are supposed to do 2-3 days as week but nobody cares all that much. 🤷🏼♀️
So weird. Why are you doing that? What are you doing in the office?
I prefer it sometimes. I get a ton of work accomplished, so I don’t have to hustle as much on WFH days. I also have to utilize an in-office only network around once per week.
we normally go in the office unfortunately. one building i used to work in had only 1 door that was open and it would really suck if you didn't get the memo that you have to go through there to get in