Member-only story
The Federal Government Lacks Data to Back Up RTO Mandate
In recent months, the push for Canada’s federal employees to return to office (RTO) has sparked vigorous debate across Canada’s public service sector. This tension, according to Nathan Prier, President of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), is fueled by a troubling lack of data. With a policy shift toward increased in-office mandates, Prier questions the evidence — or lack thereof — behind the government’s approach to RTO. In our conversation, Prier unpacked his perspective on the issues CAPE members face, from productivity and recruitment to workplace flexibility and evolving labor expectations.
A Policy Without Proof: Where’s the Evidence?
One of the most striking aspects of the federal government’s RTO push is the lack of productivity data to support the need for such a policy shift. “When the demand for office workers to return to the office emerged,” Prier explained, “there was a noticeable absence of productivity studies or baseline data to justify this demand.” He noted that the argument for a return to “normalcy” post-pandemic felt disconnected from the reality CAPE members had experienced. Many found they could work effectively from home, and CAPE’s internal surveys indicated no measurable decline in productivity.
