Doerkson says his preference is to bring B.C. public servants back to office work

The Story

B.C. premier-designate Lorne Doerkson says his “preference” is to see teleworking public servants return to office work, even as he acknowledged hybrid arrangements will likely remain in some form.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview about his government’s priorities, Doerkson said, “I think there is probably always going to be a hybrid sort of feature going forward,” adding, “But certainly my interest would be having people come back for sure.”

Doerkson said he expects flexibility on remote work, but when asked about public sector workers in rural and remote communities, he said, “We will have those conversations,” and reiterated, “But my preference would be obviously coming back to workplaces.”

The province’s public service opted after the COVID-19 pandemic to retain flexible and work-from-home arrangements, with the aim of attracting a broader range of workers. In 2023, it announced that all public service jobs would be open to “any B.C. community where the hiring ministry has an existing office,” and that support would be provided for flexible and remote work arrangements.

At the time, public service head Shannon Salter said the approach was intended to recruit employees who work everywhere in the province, not only in major centres such as Vancouver and Victoria.

B.C. General Employees Union president Paul Finch said he was “a bit concerned” about Doerkson’s comments. Finch said remote work has helped the province reduce its real estate footprint and recruit workers at lower cost, and he added that it also “really benefits a lot of small town B.C.” by enabling civil servants to work remotely in communities he described as being former resource communities that no longer receive the same level of money inflow.

Doerkson is expected to be sworn in later this month after the provincial election results are finalized on Nov. 18.