City of Vancouver mandates staff to return to office 5 days per week

Some City of Vancouver employees are being told they'll have to give up remote work starting in January.

Come Jan.1, exempt or non-unionized staff at the City of Vancouver will have to work in-office five days a week, according to an email from the city manager.

In an email dated Oct. 21, Donny van Dyk said after careful consideration, “effective January 1, 2026, all exempt staff will return to a city office site five days a week.”

“The adjustment will align us with other leading public and private sector organizations across Canada that have returned to onsite work,” he said.

Van Dyk added, “We’re enacting this change at a time when we’ll need to be working together closely.”

It comes as an update to the City of Vancouver’s Flexible Work Program.

Prior to this change, staff were allowed to work remotely between one to four days per week, depending on their department and position.

The city currently has 2,000 unionized and over 1,000 exempt staff participating in the Flexible Work Program.

Unionized staff will also see changes to their work schedule, as per the City of Vancouver, which said, by January 1, 2026, unionized employees will transition to a minimum of three days in-office each week.

In the email to staff, van Dyk said, “I recognize this is a significant change and I’m sharing this information now so you have the rest of 2025 to prepare. Like you, I understand that life requires flexibility. Please continue to be reasonable in occasional situations where you adjust your schedule and work remotely.”

In a statement to CTV News, the City of Vancouver said: “While this model may not work for all employees, we have challenges ahead that we’ll need to navigate together.”

“As we move into this next phase, our collective presence will help strengthen how we collaborate, innovate and lead through change,” the statement continued.

On the City of Vancouver’s careers site, flexible work arrangements are listed as a benefit.

Earlier this month, the City of Vancouver announced the Exempt Voluntary Separation Program, offering some staff members the opportunity to retire early, or leave their roles of their own accord.