Shared Health employees who have been working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic will be asked to spend at least half of their time in the office starting this summer.
In a memo sent Monday, Shared Health CEO Lanette Siragusa compared the change to “a number of Crown corporations and other public sector organizations” and noted many front-line staff members never stopped working in-person during the pandemic.
“Although I appreciate that this change may be disruptive, it is my hope that you will see value in coming together as teams to collaborate, plan and prioritize our work, while still retaining the potential to work remotely,” Siragusa said in the memo.
The change will apply to employees working in the Winnipeg metropolitan region, which includes some communities outside the city such as Selkirk, Niverville and Springfield. The change is effective July 15.
The memo does not make clear which Shared Health employees have been working from home or for how long. The Free Press has reached out to Shared Health for comment.
Work-from-home and hybrid work options drew the ire of Premier Wab Kinew in January, when he said he would be working to ensure public-sector workers are spending time in-office, noting management staff members should not be working from home if their employees aren’t able to.
“We have so many people who have no choice but to show up as a front-line employee, and I would ask, how can you manage somebody who has to show up in person if you’re not showing up in person?” he said .
In December, about 400 Manitoba Public Insurance employees were ordered back to the office on a part-time basis. Manitoba Hydro’s 1,800 staff members are required to spend at least three days a week in-office.
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
