Winnipeggers might see an increase in downtown traffic as employees gradually head back to the office.
Approximately 10,000 government, Canada Life and Manitoba Hydro workers are among the prospective returnees.
Kate Fenske, an officer for Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, told 680 CJOB she’s expecting to see a lot more employees returning to their buildings this spring.
“It’s likely going to be phased in, a sort of a cautious approach,” she said.
“Not necessarily what we’re seeing in other areas, so I think we’re a little bit slower here to come back.”
Canada Life is already looking at flexible return options for its 2,900 remote staff members while Manitoba Hydro is planning an eventual comeback, but has yet to set a date.
As of now, there are no concrete plans for the more 5,000 off-site government workers to head back downtown.
Fenske said employers might have to be flexible in terms of incorporating employees back into office buildings.
“What’s interesting is if you look at what Ontario has announced and shared … they’re looking for their employees to come back at least three days a week starting April fourth,” she said.
“The federal government has changed their guidelines now to allow for departments to make their choices and decide what’s best for them to start bringing employees back.”
Organizations like the Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company have already implemented flexible work models for their staff.
Brad Hartle, a Wawanesa spokesperson, told Global News over email about its Distributed Work Program that came into effect last September.
“This program gives over 90 per cent of our employees the freedom to choose where they want to work: from the office, from home, or a hybrid mix of time spent at both.”
Currently, only five per cent of Wawanesa’s workforce operates within the building.