Federal government employees will be able to continue working remotely for another year, although most of them will have to return to the office at least two days a week by March 31.
A spokeswoman for Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says the government will ultimately take another year to “assess the benefits” of teleworking for Canada Revenue Agency and Departments of Immigration and Employment and Social Development.
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) payroll employees will also work from home for another year, as will Immigration and Refugee Board adjudicators.
In December, Mona Fortier announced that all employees of federal departments would be required to return to the office at least two days a week to correct inconsistencies across the public service.
A union representing more than 72,000 civil servants says they were told the extensions were needed because of staff recruitment and retention issues.
The president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada says this only adds to the chaos surrounding the already contentious issue.
This dispatch was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for the news.
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