Ottawa’s city manager looks to clear up confusion over return-to-office mandate

The sign outside City Hall in Ottawa (CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa’s city manager insists there will be “continued flexibility and manager discretion” for alternative work arrangements when the city requires staff to return to the office full-time in the new year.

However, Wendy Stephanson says members of council and community partners have urged the city to find “more ways to work more effectively, increase overall responsiveness and strengthen trust and transparency.”

“This includes more in-person availability.”

In late August, Stephanson announced the city will return to “five days in the office as the new standard for all city employees,” effective Jan. 1.

Council is set to vote Wednesday on a motion from Coun. Jeff Leiper, which recommends the city manager rescind the return-to-office mandate and continue to accommodate employees who want to work from home.

In a memo to Council Monday night, Stephanson admitted there has “been confusion” on the new five-day in-office mandate, saying it will still provide “alternative work arrangements” for employees.

“To be clear, I can assure you and all members of Council that there will be continued flexibility and manager discretion when considering alternative work arrangement requests, including requests for hybrid work arrangements, based on the nature of the position, service delivery and operational requirements, and available dedicated and hoteling workspace,” Stephanson said.

“We all recognize that circumstances can occur where an employee will be able to work most productively at home and the service they provide to the public will not be impacted.”

Stephanson added, “Further, the Alternative Work Arrangements Policy and its supporting procedures remain unchanged with the standard. This continues to empower managers, in consultation with their teams and individual employees, to consider alternative work arrangement requests in accordance with the policy, applicable procedures, and any applicable collective agreement provisions or terms and conditions of employment.”

The City of Ottawa currently employs approximately 17,100 full-time equivalent positions, which includes police, fire, paramedics and Ottawa Public Health. Approximately 85 per cent of city staff are “onsite or in the workplace each day,” according to the city.

“A more consistent and regular on-site presence is critical to help strengthen relationships, reinforce team norms, support formal systems and processes, facilitate ongoing knowledge transfer between leaders and employees, support mentorship and succession planning, protect the integrity of our corporate memory, build confidence in the city’s ability to deliver service excellence, and ultimately strengthen public trust,” Stephanson said.

The city manager says many employees have said the city needs to provide more opportunities for in-person interactions with other employees.

“However, it is important to clarify that this approach means maximizing the use of our current spaces and demonstrating a consistent employee presence within our administrative facilities over the standard five-day work week,” Stephanson said.

“This approach was informed through the senior leadership structure to approach alternative work arrangement requests in the post-pandemic era. Consideration of factors such as operational requirements, organizational capacity, and individual circumstances (such as accommodating child care needs) to the work deployment framework will invariably result in opportunities for employees and/or teams operating on a schedule of fewer than five days in-office in accordance with the Alternative Work Arrangements Policy and its associated procedures, as amended from time to time.”