No desks, no strategy: Experts say government's latest return-to-office order ignores reality

With federal public servants mandated to return to the office four days a week this summer, experts and unions are sounding the alarm over a lack of clear strategy or infrastructure to support such a move.

Federal employees are currently mandated to come into the office three days a week, or four days a week for executives.

On Thursday, the Treasury Board of Canada suddenly announced that executives must return five days a week starting May 4, and everyone else must return four days a week starting July 6.

But Shawn S. Hamilton, principal at Proveras Commercial Realty, said the government needs a "demonstrable strategy" to prove that it can accommodate all those workers.

"You can't just bring people back for the sake of bringing them back. You've got to bring them back and locate them with their teams and ... create opportunities for collaboration," he said.

Hamilton, who has worked with tenants and lessees in both the public and private sectors, said he hasn't heard of any such plans to grow office space in the National Capital Region. He said even with the government's planned workforce reductions, he's skeptical of the logistics.

"We haven't been hearing anything on the street," he said. "We're questioning the math of where people will go."

In light of the federal government's ongoing plans to dispose of some of its properties, Hamilton said the latest mandate sends a confusing message.

"I've mapped this over the course of my 30-plus-year career, and I can't remember a time that the federal government has ever projected an image of stability or optimism for Ottawa," he said.

"[We need] some better messaging that allows us — the rest of the city — to sort of operate without a fear of abandonment or a fear of catastrophic downsizing."

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) declined to comment, pointing instead to a recent public statement.

"In locations where sufficient space is not available, we will work to identify potential solutions as quickly as possible," the department said.

Asked if the July timeline seems feasible for the government to find sufficient office space, Hamilton said the commercial real estate sector is able to "react very quickly" to demand.

"[But] July is essentially today in terms of our business, so it is tight," he said.