THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay is considering a work from home program for eligible employees, looking to cement what began as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic as permanent policy.
City council will vote on a recommendation to implement the program at a meeting on Monday, after piloting the concept with a small number of workers.
In a report, administration concluded the program provides work-life benefits for participants, while making the city a more attractive employer, and possibly generating savings in reduced work space and staff turnover.
Less than 10 per cent of the city’s workforce – between 200 and 300 employees – is expected to be eligible for the program, estimated city manager Norm Gale. That group consists largely of administrative, leadership, or professional positions, he said.
Gale called the policy a way to take advantage of lessons learned during the pandemic.
“We and other employers realized, there’s a different way you can do business, and it works – and if it works, why not exploit that?” he said.
“If we can attract more people with talent to work here because we have a work from home program... If we can save some money because we need less floor space, fewer offices, less furniture… that’s a good thing.”
Under the program, employees could request to work from home full-time, part-time, or on an ad hoc basis. The requests would be subject to approval by supervisors and reviewed annually.
Supervisors would assess whether duties can be performed successfully from home without compromising service to the public, the employee's ability to work independently, and whether their home work space meets requirements.
Employees would bear the cost of home phone and internet service and be required to complete an ergonomic assessment of their work space, and meet a home internet speed standard.
Around 150 employees participated in a pilot program that began in March.
Of those, 21 work primarily from home and report in-person as required, with the remainder alternating between home and work.
Of 109 pilot participants who answered a city survey on work-life issues, 97 per cent said the program supported work-life balance, contributed to job satisfaction, and was “an important, value-added benefit.”
Responses from a total of 420 city employees, including those not enrolled in the pilot, were more mixed.
Asked if it's important the city offer a work from home program, 53 per cent answered yes, 21 per cent said no, and 26 per cent were unsure.
“The survey responses highlighted that there is frustration and a lack of understanding about the work from home program from some employees who are not participating in the program themselves,” administration’s report concluded.
Gale said the program is expected to benefit the city, not just the employee.
“This is a two-way street,” he said. “It requires a commitment from the employee working from home… They have to have a workspace, they have to be free from interruptions, they have to have a commitment that they’re going to do this amount of work in this amount of time.”
Deryk Fournier, president of CUPE 87, which represents over 800 municipal employees, said the union’s only major concern with the policy is the question of fairness around who can take advantage of it.
“The members can feel like it’s unfair – one person gets to do it, and the other person doesn’t,” he said.
He said CUPE will be looking to ensure the policy is transparent and equitable.
Charles Cirtwill, president of the Northern Policy Institute, a regional think tank, said the policy illustrates a divide in the ability to work from home between different employers and types of jobs.
In general, private sector offices have been quicker to ask staff back, while many government workers are still working from home, he said, while many workers simply can’t take advantage of working from home.
“That creates a level of imbalance across the labour market, and I suspect over the next three to five years we’re going to see that play out in things like which positions are more attractive, which employers are more attractive,” he said.
And we’re probably going to see some discussions about, hey, if you don’t have to commute an hour and a half, should your salary be the same as someone who does?”
Gale said the city isn't considering whether to offer comparable benefits to employees who aren’t eligible to work from home.
“Where we can make work-life balance better and improve the work experience and have happier employees, we will pursue that," he said. "It doesn’t mean everybody gets treated exactly the same way in every place. The requirements of the specific jobs will dictate the circumstances.”
“The vast majority of employees cannot work from home – you can’t be a transit operator working from home; you can’t be a paramedic working from home. So the program does not apply.”
Other municipalities including Sudbury, Chatham-Kent, Ottawa, Barrie, and Toronto have implemented remote work programs, the city reported.
The city is unlikely to reduce its current office space needs by expanding work from home options, but it’s anticipated it could assist in addressing space pressures and may avoid the need to expand office spaces in the future, staff said.
