Winnipeg Considers Permanent Remote Work For Employees

Winnipeg remote work
Photo by Anna Demianenko on Unsplash

The City of Winnipeg is starting to roll out a flexible working policy that will keep some city employees at home indefinitely.

The city sent a survey home with its employees, and it obtained a 93 percent response rate.

According to the report, 95% of workers who work from home want to keep their remote alternatives open.

If given the choice, 43% say they would want to work remotely for five days a week, while 52% say they would prefer 1-4 days remote.

“This is because we want to continue to keep our excellent employees and we want to be able to recruit them. This is where the labour market is going and this is where the world is going.”Michael Jack, CAO, Winnipeg

When the idea is completely implemented, the city expects 500 people to work remotely five days a week and 1,100 to work hybrid one to four days a week.

According to Jack, the first step has already begun, allowing employees to apply with supervisor permission and director approval.

The initial plan is for a three-month experiment will run from June to September, followed by an evaluation of the program’s progress.

However, a proposal at city hall is urging Jack to establish an 18-month trial project that would allow workers to work remotely on a regular basis for a maximum of two days each week.

“We don’t want a city that’s a bunch of home offices. What kind of city is that? If we think about the future of our city, how are we going to attract talent moving forward? We know that we need to have an urban, vibrant downtown. If we have a bunch of people sitting in home offices, that’s absolutely a concern for the long-term vibrancy and sustainability of our city.”Kate Fenske, Downtown Winnipeg BIZ CEO

Subscribe to Think Remote for the latest news, tips and stories from the remote work world.

Total
0
Shares

Join us (We Have Cookies)

You're interested in news & tips about remote work? What luck! That's what we do! Better join our newsletter so we can hang out.