The City Gets Work-At-Home Wrong: MULVIHILL

The City of Ottawa has ordered employees to return to the office five days a week beginning January 1, 2026. It’s not a good idea.

City manager Wendy Stephanson, issued a memo to council outlining the reasoning behind this decision, namely returning to the office will “… strengthen the organizational culture and build confidence and trust in the city’s ability to provide responsive and reliable service to the public.”

This memo appears to be placating Premier Doug Ford’s recent demand that provincial employees return to the office and urged municipalities to follow along. It is, however, not very comforting to know that the provincial and municipal governments give little thought to commute times, carbon emissions, environmental impact, family life, child care or mental-health issues. There are currently thousands of school-age children in Ottawa needing before- and after-school care. What exactly are these parents supposed to do? Perhaps the premier can reassure parents that he has this covered?

Furthermore, commutes between home and municipal offices are difficult. How will public transit perform under pressure now that the heavy vacation period has end and how long will riders’ patience last? The roads are already clogged with cars. Rush hour starts at 2 p.m. How many more people will revert to cars?

It isn’t likely that the bulk of transit riders will think that spending up to four hours each workday commuting to and from the office is quality time. Good employees will leave. Bad employees, with no other choice, will stay.

At some point, employees’ well-being must be taken into consideration. Right?

Donna Mulvihill is a community activist and former hospital coordinator

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