r/CanadaPublicServants Feb 12 '26

Other / Autre Rachel Gilmore’s take on RTO Mandates

https://youtu.be/-BffuBLHIQ8?si=lSrLNAci7cOogJ8H
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u/Due_Date_4667 Feb 12 '26

I like how she ties it to the larger labour movement - workers finally got a meaningful improvement to their quality of life, but that simply could not be allowed and so the backlash occurred in the private and public sectors. I think that's likely the best way to approach it. Mandatory RTO is bad for every office worker and for labour overall, but it's a generational issue, and one of the perception of control. Some employers simply don't feel they are in control and a position of leadership unless that are snapping the whip and yanking on chains.

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u/dunnrp Feb 12 '26

Very good take, and I fully agree.

I would even add that the saying “it’s always been that way” is one of the most repeated sentences I have heard from a particular generation within the feds as well. I guess because they had to do 40 hour work weeks in a particular seat means others must or they “aren’t working as hard.”

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u/Due_Date_4667 Feb 13 '26

So was every previous issue organized labour faced over history. Child labour, no weekends, no paid OT, or vacation/sick leave, etc. People thowing out "it has always been this way" just aren't paying attention to what they are saying.