Federal Return-to-Office Plans Stall at Global Affairs Canada
Canada's push to bring federal workers back to the office four days a week has hit a practical wall at Global Affairs Canada — there simply isn't enough room.
The department has delayed its implementation of the federal government's expanded in-office mandate after it became clear that its Ottawa-based facilities cannot physically accommodate the volume of employees expected to show up under the new rules. The delay has drawn a rare moment of validation from the union representing affected workers, who say they've been raising the alarm about overcrowding for months.
"It's refreshing to finally have a department realize what we've been saying for months — that there's not enough space," one union spokesperson said in response to the announcement.
The Space Problem No One Planned For
The federal government's return-to-office mandate, which has been progressively tightened over the past year, now calls for most public servants to work in person four days a week. The policy was framed as a way to reinvigorate collaboration, accountability, and the broader public service culture that unions and managers alike say eroded during the pandemic years.
But as departments scramble to comply, the physical reality of office space is catching up with the policy. Global Affairs Canada, which manages Canada's international diplomacy and employs thousands of workers in the National Capital Region, acknowledged it cannot safely or practically absorb a near-full return without some departments being left without desks, meeting rooms, or even basic workstations.
The department has not confirmed a revised timeline, but indicated it is working to resolve the capacity issues before enforcing the full four-day requirement.
Unions Say They Saw This Coming
Public service unions have long flagged that the government's real estate footprint shrank considerably during the pandemic years, as departments offloaded leases and embraced hybrid work as a permanent fixture. Bringing workers back at pre-pandemic density, they argue, was never logistically sound.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada and other bargaining agents have pointed to reports of workers unable to find available desks, staff hot-desking in hallways, and meeting rooms booked solid days in advance — conditions they say undermine the very productivity the mandate was meant to restore.
For workers at Global Affairs, the delay is likely a relief, if a temporary one. Many employees had expressed frustration at the compressed timeline and the lack of clarity around workspace assignments ahead of the original rollout date.
A Test Case for the Broader Mandate
The situation at Global Affairs Canada is being watched closely across the federal public service. If one of Canada's largest and most high-profile departments cannot accommodate four-day in-office work due to physical space constraints, critics say the same problem is likely simmering in other departments that haven't yet acknowledged it publicly.
Treasury Board, which oversees the public service, has maintained that the four-day mandate is the right direction for federal workers, and has largely left implementation details to individual departments. That approach has produced an uneven rollout, with some departments forging ahead and others — like Global Affairs — pressing pause.
For now, Global Affairs workers have a reprieve. But with pressure from the top to enforce in-office work, the question isn't whether they'll return — it's whether there will be anywhere to sit when they do.
Source: CBC News
