Public servants know what happens when the federal government pushes ahead before the basics are ready. They saw it with the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system, where warnings were ignored, implementation was rushed, and workers were left to deal with the consequences for years.
Now, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees are seeing that pattern take shape again. A major workplace change is being imposed before the employer has shown that the offices, systems, and infrastructure are prepared to support it.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) is calling on the Canada Revenue Agency and Treasury Board to pause any further expansion of mandatory return-to-office requirements until the employer can show that CRA workplaces are ready, workers have been meaningfully consulted, and the plan is fair, safe, flexible, and clear.
“CRA members are not opposed to doing their jobs,” said Sean O’Reilly, President of PIPSC. “They are opposed to being forced into a poorly planned system that does not work.”
For too many CRA employees, the reality of return-to-office is overcrowded offices, inconsistent rules, limited workstations, and more time spent navigating workplace logistics instead of doing the work Canadians rely on. Some members are commuting to the office only to work alone, take virtual meetings, or sit away from the colleagues they are supposed to be collaborating with.
“This is not collaboration. It is box-checking,” said O’Reilly. “If the employer wants people in the office, it needs to prove those offices are ready.”
PIPSC has repeatedly warned that one-size-fits-all return-to-office mandates ignore the real conditions members face across departments, agencies, regions, and worksites. At CRA, those concerns are now creating unnecessary frustration and conflict as employees are forced to compete for limited space and absorb the consequences of poor planning.
“It’s grossly unfair to force some workers back 4 days a week while others only have to return 2 or 3 days a week, due to a shortage of office space,” said Doug Mason, President of PIPSC’s Audit, Financial and Scientific Group. “There should be no increase in mandated office presence until the government consults with unions and there’s enough space for everyone.”
The employer has not shown that expanded in-office requirements will improve service to Canadians. It has not shown that the necessary space and infrastructure are in place. And it has not shown that the costs, disruptions, and workplace impacts have been properly assessed.
PIPSC is calling on the CRA and Treasury Board to pause the expansion, release the evidence being used to justify the decision, and work with unions on a fair, practical, and evidence-based approach to telework and workplace presence.
“Public servants deserve better than another rushed implementation,” said O’Reilly. “The government should learn from Phoenix, not repeat the same mistake in a different form.”
