Quebec civil servants prepare for gradual return to the office

Quebec's civil servants expect to begin a gradual return to the office next Monday, after the provincial government announced its plan to slowly open workplaces back up.

Beginning Nov. 15, workers in the public sector will start a new hybrid model of work working from home three times a week and working in the officetwicea week.

"The epidemiological situation finally allows us to begin the gradual return to the workplace," said Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel.

LeBel saidthe province is aiming to have about half of Quebec's civil employees working inthe office two days a week by Jan. 14, 2022. By the end of January, the goal is to have 100 per cent of these employees working in the hybrid model.

Bringing government workers back gradually will allow offices to adapt to public health measures, LeBel said,although the plan may change depending on howtheCOVID-19 situation evolves.

Apart from teachers and health workers, most public servants have been working from home sincethe beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020.A return to work wasproposed and then delayed several times.

Still, LeBelsays she has no plan to bring all personnelback to government offices full time.

"Working from home for employees whose jobs are well-suited for this is here to stay," LeBel saidin a statement.

"I am convinced that this way of doing things will allow a better balance between work and professional life and that it will make [working for] the government more attractive."

Last week,Quebec saidemployers no longer have to prioritize working from home, thoughit said theyshould still allow it.

'Is it really the right time?'

Line Lamarre, the president of the Syndicat des professionnels du gouvernement du Quebec (SPGQ) said she is surprised and a little worried about the government's decision.

"Is it really the right time to do this, right before the holidays?" she said to Radio-Canada.

'We are a little taken aback.We're surprised how quickly they want to do this."

Lamarre said she was not informed of thedecision in advance and it leaves managersvery littletime to prepare, especially to set up workspaces and decide which employees will come to the office on which day.

She said she's worried aboutthe reaction from her union members, which accountfor more than 20,000 workers in the public sector. While shesays a number of themwill be happy to return to the office, she expects some will be surprised to find they're now sharingworkspaces with other colleagues, which was not the case before the pandemic.

Christian Daigle, head of theSFPQ, theunionthat representspublic and para-publicservice workers in the province, says he's not opposed to the gradual return to the workplace.

However, the union, which represents 30,000 members, is askingemployers to enforce the highest standards of health and safety.

"The government of Quebec will also have to be flexible in the application of the hybrid model," Daigle said,"if it does not wish to accentuate the labour shortage it is currently experiencing."