A commentary by a Victoria resident.
Re: “A return to normalcy includes the office,” editorial, Dec. 22.
A return to normalcy does not mean going back to the old ways. What was normal three years ago is not necessarily normal today.
The delivery of public services requires that there be well-informed policy frameworks within which programs are designed and services delivered. And for this we need a talented workforce to develop and operationalize such frameworks.
It is for this reason the Public Service Agency constantly strives to bring in the best and brightest to work for B.C. Public Service. Shortage of workers, high rents, and housing scarcity demand that we change how we operate public service and draw talent to deliver programs and services that are second to none.
Our intellectual landscape has changed, the technological breakthroughs and advancements in artificial intelligence have shrunk the world and have presented new opportunities to connect and work.
With these changes, continuing to rely on the organizational model that is centuries old does not make sense and neither does the pre-pandemic work structure and culture.
There are pros and cons of working from home. However, focusing only on “cons” and ignoring the positives of working from home does not present a balanced and objective assessment of what is good for public and public servants.
Such a one-sided perspective ignores that working from home contributes to time savings, cost savings, flexibility, independence and an increase in productivity.
On one hand, we hear about housing crunch, carbon footprints and municipalities are building bike lanes to cut down on traffic and pollution but then on the other hand we argue that everyone, no matter how far they live, must commute to work five days a week.
As the editorial notes: “If staff can safely return to work three days a week, why not five?” The answer to this question raises another question and that is “if staff can effectively work two days a week from home, why not five?”
The answer to both these questions requires a thoughtful reflection since there are operational needs and strategic work that Public Service needs to carry out.
We need to carefully consider both pros and cons of working from home and working from office to come up with a meaningful option based on the nature of work and operational needs of ministries.
While we consider pros and cons, we must also take into account the challenges that Public Service faces in recruiting and retaining best talent, and the opportunities that advancement in AI technology offers to connect and work remotely.
Suggesting “one size fits all” and that everyone should work five days a week from the office requires further thought. The hybrid approach with certain exceptions seems to be the best option going forward.
