Sick days increased almost 14 per cent when public servants returned to office three days a week

"The number of sick days used by the core public service in September 2024 jumped to 238,668 from 209,395 in the previous year. This was a jump of almost 14 per cent, during a time that the core public administration grew by around four per cent. During September 2022, public servants took 168,245 sick days, while in 2021 they took 157,657."

"That month in 2024, the Treasury Board's new policy on remote work came into effect and required employees in the core administration to be in the office three days a week. "The use of sick leave decreased during the pandemic (FY 2020/2021)," Rola Salem, spokesperson for the Treasury Board, said in a statement. "It has increased since then, but remains proportional to the population of the Core Public Administration since 2018. The average number of sick days per employee remains the same at around 2%.""

Sick leave in the core public administration increased to 238,668 days in September 2024, up from 209,395 the previous year, a rise of nearly 14% while the workforce grew about four percent. Earlier Septembers showed 168,245 sick days in 2022 and 157,657 in 2021; September 2020 recorded 129,570 and 2019 recorded 189,098. The Treasury Board implemented a three-day-in-office requirement for most employees in 2024, with executives required four days. Pandemic-era directives had mandated full-time remote work and a 2023 hybrid model. Unions staged rallies and launched a paused court challenge while a grievance proceeds.

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