Manitoba premier says hybrid work can be 'disruptive,' hints at changes for civil servants working from home
'How can you manage somebody who has to show up in person if you’re not showing up in person?' Wab Kinew asks
Manitoba's premier says he wants to see more people coming back to work in Winnipeg's downtown — and hinted that changes along those lines could be on the horizon for people working in the province's civil service.
Wab Kinew says he thinks if front-line workers — from nurses to people clearing snow to those working at Manitoba Public Insurance — have to physically come into work every day, so should their managers.
"I would ask, 'How can you manage somebody who has to show up in person if you're not showing up in person?'" Kinew said at a Friday morning event focused on improving Winnipeg's downtown.
"I think it's tough for us to credibly say we're going to improve the culture, or we're going to match the commitment of people on the front lines, if we're not showing up ourselves."
Kinew told reporters after the event he's not announcing any changes yet, but his government will be looking to build a consensus in the next few months on the topic — which he said he's sure will draw "a range of opinions."
But the premier made his own thoughts clear on hybrid work arrangements before the crowd gathered for the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone speaker series event at the WAG-Qaumajuq art gallery.
"Just as a workflow thing, I don't think hybrid is good," Kinew said. "It's very disruptive if you have a creative conversation around a room of five people, and then there's four people jumping in on a remote call type of setup."
WATCH | Manitoba premier on hybrid work:
Kinew's comments come a month after CBC reported that Shared Health — which oversees health-care delivery in Manitoba — is spending more than $1 million a year on downtown office space it's no longer using.
The organization has 890 corporate and administrative staff, the majority of whom are still primarily working from home.
The premier said that's a related issue that the province needs to put "into the mix" as it works toward revitalizing downtown.
But Kinew said he thinks the bigger issue is "the culture that is created if you have folks who are not showing up in person who are trying to tell a nurse or a physician or a health-care aide — who has to show up in person every day — what to do."
There's an important economic development component to encouraging people to come back to work downtown, said Kinew.
But he said he thinks there will be flexibility with whatever route is decided on, and that some scenarios present a case for working from home — such as situations where it would make accommodating parental leave easier, or support recruitment and retention.
"But the idea that hybrid work should be the default is something that we need to revisit," he said.
A Shared Health spokesperson said in a statement that the provincial health organization is "committed to review workplace environments for our employees across the province."
Kate Fenske, chief executive officer of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, said she was excited to hear Kinew call for more workers downtown.
"Knowing that there is some hope and some opportunity to see more workers back downtown is excellent," Fenske said.
"I think we always know that there's going to be a blend and a balance — and so that's up to the employer to decide what's the right fit for their work, and for employees to decide where they want to work and what those options look like."