City staff should work in office: councillors

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/10/2023 (724 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As more than 250 City of Winnipeg managers continue to work from home at least part-time, some councillors are calling for a broad return to the office in the name of accountability.

More than half of employees represented by the Winnipeg Association of Public Service Officers work remotely at least part-time, a new city report notes. Of 965 total WAPSO staff (supervisors and employees with professional designations), 573 do remote work (127 full-time, 446 part-time).

The report notes 252 of those remote workers directly supervise other civic staff, including 11 who oversee front-line workers (defined as those in daily contact with the public). Those 11 supervisors work remotely part-time.

Coun. Janice Lukes believes the statistics indicate managers aren’t monitoring staff as closely as they could be.

“When you have that many people working (at least part-time) remotely in management, it gives me great concern,” Lukes said Friday.

The Waverley West councillor said she’s received complaints from the public that some staff are now harder to contact, adding she has struggled to connect with some public servants herself since widespread remote work began amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city previously confirmed about a dozen staff have been required to return to the office in the property and development department due to productivity concerns, out of 1,550 total Winnipeg employees now doing some amount of remote work.

Lukes argues managers can provide better oversight in person. “(They) need to be around the people they’re supervising… I think sometimes work from home prevents that level of accessibility.”

Coun. Evan Duncan (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood) also believes the vast majority of supervisors should work at the office with their staff to ensure proper supervision.

“We’re working for the public here. The public wants to see accountability. They want to make sure that their tax dollars and their investment into Winnipeg is being demonstrated in good delivery of services and (these are) quick and responsive,” said Duncan.

Remote work could be limited to special circumstances that require it, with broader exemptions for IT staff (who more commonly work from home) and 311 operators (whose calls are recorded), he added.

Conversely, the city’s chief administrative officer says he hasn’t seen evidence of remote work hindering oversight.

“We’re just not seeing that being an issue that manifests itself in the workplace… Effective management and supervision is so much more than standing over someone’s shoulder to ensure they’re being productive,” said Michael Jack. “We’re not seeing complaints about productivity that are tied to this.

“I do recognize some are making assumptions, some feel intuitively it must be leading to some issues. We’re doing our best to present the actual evidence… and we’re not seeing it as being problematic.”

On the flip side, Jack said remote work options have allowed greater flexibility to deliver services, noting the city now finds it easier to call staff in for 311 shifts on short notice. He also expects the option will help Winnipeg attract and retain staff.

The new report notes 120 front-line staff use the flexible workplace program to work remotely for some shifts, including 18 who provide face-to-face service on a rotating basis.

Within the 311 department, 38 customer service representatives, who don’t provide front-counter (in-person) service, work remotely part-time.

Felicia Wiltshire, Winnipeg director of customer service and communications, said these positions can be closely monitored even with remote work, since the call system records all phone interactions, login times and break periods.

Wiltshire noted quality assurance reviews have found performance has remained stable.

“I think that’s a good indicator… the quality of the calls at 311 have not changed as a result of people working remotely,” she said.

WAPSO officials could not be reached for an interview Friday.

During a September executive policy committee meeting at city hall, the union’s local executive director said work-from-home options are now expected by many workers, not seen as a rare perk.

“The value placed on strict face-time, in-office presence has diminished… and the vast majority of people working remotely have embraced the flexibility that comes with working from home and they’ve done so in a responsible way,” said Keith Bellamy.

Council’s executive policy committee is slated to debate the flexible workplace program again in November.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga