Federal government looking for office space, desks to accommodate public servants

An office building in downtown Ottawa. Jan. 10, 2024. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) “does not anticipate any challenges” in accommodating public service managers and executives being in the office five days a week starting on Monday.

However, the government is looking to optimize underutilized space and renew existing leases to create “more workstations and/or more space” to accommodate other public servants when they are required to spend more time in the office beginning this summer.

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The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat issued a new directive in February requiring federal employees to spend more time on-site.

As of May 4, all federal executives will be required to work on-site five days per week, while all other federal employees in the core public service will need to be in the office four days per week starting on July 6.

In a statement, Public Services and Procurement Canada says the government “does not anticipate any challenges” in accommodating executives in the office five days a week “within existing office space.”

“Our analysis shows that the increase to a four-day onsite presence for all employees will mean that certain departments will require more workstations and/or more space in certain locations,” a spokesperson for PSPC said in an email to CTV News Ottawa.

“PSPC is working with partner departments and agencies to rapidly deliver efficient solutions by optimizing underutilized space, renewing existing leases, and potentially acquiring additional space where requirements cannot be met within the existing portfolio. PSPC uses its operating budget to invest in maintenance, ensuring that buildings remain safe and suitable for employees as on-site work requirements increase.”

The government didn’t say which departments require more desks and office space to accommodate employees.

All federal employees are currently required to be in the office for a minimum of three days a week.

Last week, Global Affairs Canada announced some employees in the national capital region will not be required to report to the office four days a week starting this summer due to a lack of office space.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said a “multi-year renovation project” at its headquarters and in other buildings in the national capital region “is affecting the availability of office spaces.”

As of May 4, all Global Affairs Canada executives will be required to work full-time on-site five days per week. All managers and deputy directors who report to a director or above will be required to work on site four days per week, phased in between July 6 and Sept. 15.

All other Global Affairs employees based in the national capital region, as well as some employees in GAC regional offices across Canada, will be required to be present on-site three days per week.

“As renovation projects advance and additional renovated space becomes available, onsite presence will increase in line with TBS direction, ensuring employees have the space needed to carry out their work effectively,” Global Affairs Canada said.

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