Employers are no longer required to allow staff to work from home if possible under an updated provincial health officer order on workplace safety that rolled out Thursday.
Under the new order, workplaces must continue to have COVID-19 safety plans and in most cases, masks must be used indoors.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said many workplaces will be able to transition to in-person work again quickly, while others may wish to continue with remote or hybrid model. “Workplaces and businesses are encouraged to choose the option that works best for them.”
The Finance Ministry said Thursday that B.C. Public Service employees with approved telework agreements will begin implementing those agreements effective March 1, which means more employees will be returning to their regular workplaces on that date. The vaccine requirement is still in effect, it added.
About 400 B.C. public-service workers who failed to provide proof of full vaccination by Nov. 22 face termination starting Feb. 24.
The Public Service Agency says about 98 per cent of the just over 38,000 employees showed proof of partial or full vaccination, leaving about 400 who did not.
Those who did not comply or weren’t approved as having a valid medical or other exemption were placed on an unpaid leave of absence for three months, after which they can be terminated. The first affected employees will reach the end of that three-month period next week, according to the Public Service Agency.
B.C. General Employees’ Union president Stephanie Smith, who was in bargaining on Thursday, said some of the approximately 400 members who are on unpaid leave have since been vaccinated. “We won’t know the numbers of those who actually are terminated until those letters are sent,” she said.
At the same time, the union president said COVID remains in circulation and the union is working with its members to ensure any transitions back to offices are done according to collective agreements and telework agreements.
“This will be sort of handled ministry by ministry,” said Smith.
Throughout the pandemic and especially now during bargaining, Smith said the union is hearing from the membership that flexible work arrangements are “actually really, really important to them.”
“It is part of what we’re talking about in negotiations, so we’re going to make sure that that members are feeling supported in their return to work.”
It’s likely that hybrid models — where employees work a certain number of days in and out of the office — and other alternate arrangements will be used, she said.
“I think it’s fair to say that people understand that COVID is still here, Omicron is still here,” said Smith.
“We know, of course, that our members that will be working in the public service are fully vaccinated, but people still have concerns and so again, for us, it’s ensuring that this is done with the health and safety of working people at the forefront.”
