Workers with Ontario Health at Home (OHAH) gathered Monday afternoon to protest against the province’s requirement for all public service employees to be in the office five days a week.
Nadine Bell was part of a small group of workers who met in Waterloo as part of the provincewide action day, stating that the hybrid work model has been effective for her and her colleagues.
“It’s worked for years and people are most satisfied with their position because it’s easier for them with child care and pet care to have a hybrid workforce,” Bell told .
The full return to the office marks a shift from a policy established in April 2022, which required provincial employees to be on-site at least three days each week.
![]()
Nadine Bell was among a small group of Ontario health at Home workers who rallied outside their office in Waterloo on Monday. Bell said the hybrid work model was ideal for her and her co-workers. (Carmen Groleau/CBC)
According to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), since the pandemic, hybrid work has become standard for OHAH’s 1,800 employees.
“I wasn’t mad, but really sad that a really good model, something that worked, is being discarded,” Bell said.
“Everything was in place. People were working from home with no problems; the technology worked; it’s all there so why mess with it? It was working perfectly.”
Premier Doug Ford commented from Queen’s Park on Monday expressing his eagerness for everyone to return to the office.
“It’s great to get everyone back to work – like every other citizen, you go out there and you show up five days a week,” Ford said.
He also mentioned that employees will need to coordinate with their managers if they can’t make it into the office.
Source link
Office Space Issues
Bell highlighted another concern regarding space limitations in the office. She noted that both the parking lot and workspace are “packed.” “It’s also an issue of space because we share the office with Ontario Health as well,” she said. “There’s a noise level in the office that if you’re dealing with a patient issue that’s sensitive, it’s hard to find a quiet spot to work in.” CUPE stated on its website that there aren’t enough workspaces available for all employees if they are required back in-office five days per week. “The employer sold off many of the office buildings, meaning they no longer have capacity to house all staff back in the office,” the union explained. JP Hornick, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union representing about 30,000 provincial workers, expressed concerns about how confusing this new mandate rollout has been and criticized slow responses from the province. “The logistic and space considerations that workers have been raising – there’s been no response or response has been quite slow,” Hornick noted. “We’ve seen 10,000 alternative work arrangements filed and no response on those yet either.”Source link
