Sutcliffe Wins On 3-Day Work-At-Work Issue

09/26/2024

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Looks like Mayor Mark Sutcliffe was the winner on the federal three-day in-office work issue.

Prior to the April 2024 decision on Treasury Board’s mandated three-day return to work order, three options were under consideration.

The flexible first option was considered to be disruptive for management and possibly subject to negative public scrutiny. Second, an ad-hoc model had workers primarily on site with some telework and finally the last option was being scheduled three-days in the office.

The three-day mandate was chosen with the thought that it would eliminate inconsistencies. However, it was considered the more disruptive of the three options. Managers soon reported issues with managing change, lack of work space and unassigned seating.

According to Sharon DeSousa, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada: “It seems that politics got in the way … another agenda got out on the table and the government chose to go that route because the evidence isn’t there to support this mandate.”

So, was all of this done simply to appease Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and his determination to fund the debt-riddled LRT and bus system? Remember Sutcliffe demanding public servants return to the office to shore-up downtown businesses?

Accordingly, families were displaced; households were thrown into disarray for lack of childcare; chaos ensued with traffic gridlock, non-existent parking, overflowing transit and two-hour commutes.

Is that the best option?

Donna Mulvihill is a community activist and former hospital coordinator