Thousands of Alberta government workers, including probation and conservation officers and administrative staff, returned to work in their offices full time Monday.
Sunday marked the official end of the province’s hybrid-work option, which was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees says many workers are unhappy with the full-time arrangement.
The union says members were ordered back full time in part to help boost local economies – an accusation the government rejects.
To express their frustration with the full-time return, AUPE says workers placed brown paper lunch bags on their desks on their first day back with a note stating: “Hybrid work tastes better.”
And as of Monday afternoon, workers were looking for more bags.
“Individuals who are reaching out to me as I’m scrolling through my email right now are requesting, ‘How do I get more of the lunch bag,” said Bobby-Joe Borodey, AUPE’s vice-president.
“We know that there’s uptake on the campaign.”
Borodey said the union had been hoping the government would reverse its decision over the weekend.
But she added exceptions were made for some workers.
Alberta’s government has said more than 12,000 workers participated in hybrid arrangements allowing them to work from home twice a week but circumstances have changed and it was time to bring workers back.
“Alberta’s public service is returning to full-time, in-office work in February, not to revitalize downtown cores across the province, but instead to strengthen collaboration, accountability, and service delivery for Albertans,” Marisa Breeze, press secretary for Alberta’s finance ministry, said in an email last week.
“This decision was made independently by the Public Service Commission (PSC) as part of its responsibility to manage the public service and ensure operational excellence.”
On Monday, Breeze added that the commission is focused on ensuring workers have a smooth transition into full-time office work.
“The return to work is proceeding as expected and in line with standard government workforce practices,” she said in an email.
The union had also expressed concern that there wouldn’t be enough desks, as hybrid hours allowed workers to rotate workspaces. Borodey said workers told her desks were still being moved around Monday.
“Members have indicated that they noticed that there was some renovating going on within their office spaces. Areas that were used for having your lunch in or a place where you could unplug — those spaces were being reverted back to office space,” she said.
“But we don’t have a full picture though of what the infrastructure looks like yet.”
Breeze said 99 per cent of workers were assigned their permanent workspaces. “For the remaining 1% of employees assigned to temporary and transitional spaces, they will be reassigned a permanent workspace in a timely manner,” she said.
“Transitional workplaces are a standard practice during any workplace transition. Workspaces will be set to accommodate a worker’s operational requirements at the discretion of their manager or supervisor. Any remaining adjustments are being handled at the departmental level as a part of regular facilities and workforce management. As with any large organization, workspaces are always subject to adjustment over time.”
Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi, when asked Monday about the change by the United Conservative Party government, said it’s another example of how it likes to mimic other conservative leaders, referring to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his similar back-to-office order.
“The government did this without really consulting workers; they did it because other people were doing it,” Nenshi said, adding Alberta also didn’t highlight any challenges with productivity to justify the move.
Breeze called the assertions incorrect and said the government’s rationale stands.
Governments in Manitoba, British Columbia and New Brunswick have said they allow hybrid work, while the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland and Labrador said they were reviewing their remote work policies.
About 9,000 of approximately 23,000 AUPE members participated in the hybrid arrangement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2026.
— With files from Lisa Johnson in Edmonton and Catherine Morrison in Ottawa
