Return from face-to-face part-time | Federal officials struggle to find child care

(OTTAWA) The announcement of the return to work for federal public servants last week has forced some parents to scramble to find daycare.

Workers have been instructed to return to the office from January and will be required to be there two to three times a week by March, with a transition beginning in mid-January.

Treasury Board President Mona Fortier, who oversees civil service administration, told reporters last week that remote work was necessary during the pandemic, but the measure had created inconsistencies and a lack of understanding. ‘equity.

Asked about the existence of data to support the decision, Ms.^me Fortier had rather replied that the instruction stemmed from a concern for “equity and justice” within all departments.

Experts believe, however, that several public servants will face childcare hurdles before returning to work in person.

Michael Halinski, associate professor of organizational behavior at Metropolitan University of Toronto, blames M^me Fortier the absence of a clear strategic framework. According to him, government employees will find it difficult to make the transition if a strategy behind the justification of M^me Fortier was not clearly communicated.

“Without a strategy and well-founded arguments to defend this decision, I think employees will hesitate or refuse the idea of ​​returning to the office,” he underlines.

Limited places

Child care centers in Canada are rare, says Marni Flaherty, interim president and CEO of the Canadian Child Care Federation. A national childcare strategy is in place and funding is in place to support it, she said, but demands are putting even more pressure on an already saturated sector.

For federal public servants, finding a child care space will be a big challenge, says Ms.^me Flaherty, adding that there are “not enough services for families” at present.

Tania Marcil, a federal civil servant from Halifax, points out that she preferred spending time with her three children during the holidays rather than spending her time on the phone with childcare services before the policy took effect. .

She adds that she has heard other public servants express their difficulties in dealing with the problem of child custody, and hopes that the federal government will set up a program to help people in her position.