City of Ottawa employees can’t 'work out of Jamaica' under hybrid model: city manager
City of Ottawa employees hoping for a future of permanently working from home: think again.
Municipal workers will be expected to come into the office when their bosses ask them to, city manager Steve Kanellakos said Wednesday.
“I certainly don’t support that there be this permanency of,,,you never have to show up, or you can go down to Jamaica and work out of Jamaica and never have to come back to the office,” he told reporters. “I don’t think that’s the way to run a city.”
About 75 per cent of the city’s 17,000 employees haven’t worked from home during the pandemic because their jobs require them to be out in the field, not in an office.
But for the more than 4,000 people that work out of the city’s three main administrative buildings—City Hall, 100 Constellation Drive and Ben Franklin Place—the city is working toward a hybrid model.
“Hybrid means that you’ll be required to come into the office when your boss needs you to come in … and that you will also be permitted to work from home when required,” Kanellakos said.
Some employees might be required to come in one to two days week depending on their role, he added.
“We’re going to be flexible with our employees to try and determine how many days a week they need to come back.”
Just under half of those employees are already back in some form or are on their way back to starting in January, Kanellakos said.
“We’ll be growing that as we proceed into the new year,” he said. “We’re moving at a really good pace, at a safe pace, to get our employees back in some form in our administrative buildings.”
The federal public service has been slower in developing a plan to bring workers back to the office. Most public servants are still working from home, and there’s no clear timeline on if and when they’ll come back.
Mayor Jim Watson has said he’s working with Mona Fortier, the new president of the Treasury Board, to get federal workers back into offices downtown.
Council could return in January
Although Parliament resumed this week in-person, Wednesday’s council meeting was held as they have been for the past 20 months: Watson sitting in the council chamber and councillors joining on Zoom.
But the mayor said he hopes council can return to in-person sessions early in the new year.
“The latest briefing I received was that the clerk is looking at us coming back sometime in January,” he said.
The return would need to be cleared from the clerk and Ottawa Public Health, he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
RCMP uncovers plot to sell drones and equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a ploy to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.