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While thousands of public and private sector employees prepare to return to the office, many City of Edmonton employees will continue to work in hybrid arrangements.
According to a city spokesperson, while not all city staff have the option to work from home, about 1,280 city staff in Edmonton Tower work a hybrid schedule. The number of in-office work days for those employees varies from a minimum of two days up to four days a week.
That’s sparking calls for change from some in Edmonton’s business and real estate sector, especially as others are returning to full-time, in-office work.
“Working from home isn’t a right. It’s something that ultimately was a response to a certain circumstance,” Chris Dulaba, manager of placemaking and entitlements with developer Rohit Group said.
Dulaba says he thinks he’d get better service from the city if they returned to office — saying that it’s harder to call someone up or pop by their office than it used to be.
“Some of those lines of communication seem to have broken down a bit and things just take a little bit longer sometimes to materialize and get together.”
Todd Walker, a real estate adviser with Cresa, said with some return to office plans already in motion, foot traffic is already way up in the city’s core.
“It’s almost like we’ve seen a renaissance in downtown, something we haven’t seen for the last six or seven years,” Walker said.
He said that the city could help snowball that effect.
“Activity breeds activity,” Walker said. “Lead the way. Everybody’s ready to go. Here’s a wonderful opportunity to do it.”
Mayor Andrew Knack said ultimately the decision lies with the city manager, not him. But he doesn’t think a full return to work is the answer.
“If we’re looking to use that as the way to revitalize the downtown, we’re using the wrong tool. The world has changed, the world has evolved. I think it’s important to continue to provide flexibility,” Knack told reporters last week.
The city did not make the city manager available for an interview but said in a statement to CBC that the city will continue to provide hybrid work for some staff, while continuing to monitor the changing landscape.
Dulaba said as one of the biggest employers downtown, it’s disappointing the city isn’t looking at bringing staff back to the core full-time.
“How committed then are you to having your downtown come back, and grow?”
The hybrid work agreement isn’t enshrined in the collective agreements for city staff, but Bryce Jowett, president of CSU 52, said ending hybrid work would go against the spirit of what was agreed to at the bargaining table.
He said the city’s current approach is saving money and the work is getting done.
“There’s no city operational reason to bring them back to the office. So it would mostly just be a political move.”
WATCH | City workers not being mandated to return to the office:
Renewed calls for City of Edmonton to end hybrid work
Thousands of public and private sector workers will return to office in February. Despite calls for the city to follow suit, it says hybrid work is staying for now.
The city plans to sell Chancery Hall and Century Place and consolidate staff into existing buildings like Edmonton Tower.
Jowett said given that, he thinks if everyone were to go back to work in-person five days a week, the city doesn’t have enough office space. He said that’s being overlooked.
“Usually the same business interests that are saying the city needs to get its budget under control…conversely, seem not to be looking at the other side of the argument, which is the city has found an efficiency.”