The Remote Work Policy – Hybrid Work sets out the principles and process by which employees of the City of Toronto may safely and effectively perform the duties of their position from a remote work location as part of a hybrid work arrangement pursuant to the City’s Hybrid Work Program, or on an ad hoc basis.
This policy replaces the Remote Work Policy – Hybrid Work, effective November 7, 2023.
A workplace model that enables eligible employees to perform their work duties alternating between their City work location and a remote work location further to a hybrid work arrangement with their people leader, as described in the hybrid work program. Hybrid work is not fully remote and includes a requirement for performance of work at a City location on a weekly basis.
The documented application of hybrid work for an eligible employee, as discussed between the employee and their people leader. In a hybrid work arrangement, employees are expected to work a minimum of two (2) to three (3) days per week at their City work location and the remainder of the week from their remote work location, in accordance with the City’s Hybrid Work Program. Arrangements are to be flexible and reasonable while considering operational requirements.
Remote work that is performed occasionally by an employee outside of a hybrid work arrangement, on an exception basis, with their people leader’s approval, subject to divisional requirements or limitations.
The performance of an employee’s job duties at a remote work location as part of a Hybrid Work arrangement, using technology to facilitate the performance of the employee’s duties and access and communication between the employee and their people leader.
An electronic form completed by the employee prior to commencing work at a remote work location, confirming the remote work location and that the location is appropriate, secure, and safe for City work. The Attestation must be updated by the employee annually, or whenever there are material changes to an employee’s remote work location, changes to reporting relationships, when requested by their people leader, or as required by the employee’s division.
A location that is a non-City work location that allows the employee, as part of a Hybrid Work Arrangement or on an ad hoc basis, to perform their work safely, has network connectivity, and maintains security of City information appropriate to the work being performed. Employees may have a primary and optional secondary remote work location, to be identified on the Remote Work Attestation.
An employee’s remote work location must be within a reasonable distance of their regularly assigned City work location, as determined by operational requirements, and within Ontario.
Locations that offer public Wi-Fi or that are not private (coffee shops, malls, airports, libraries, etc.) are not considered suitable remote work locations.
The employee’s regularly assigned City work location, where the employee typically reports for work during regular business operations. Examples include: City Hall, Metro Hall and Civic Centres, Shelters, Seniors Services & Long-Term Care Homes.
Division-specific leased and/or free-standing buildings (e.g. treatment plant, Fire Station)
An employee performing work in a position that has been identified by their division as being suitable for hybrid work.
An individual with authority and the ability to positively influence, coach and motivate others to their full potential to be able to work towards common goals and outcomes. This individual should have formal direct reports and can range from Supervisors to the City Manager.
Remote or hybrid work is an employee privilege, not an employee right or entitlement or a term and condition of employment, and may be denied or revoked by the City or by an employee’s people leader, at their sole discretion.
Employees must comply with all City policies, procedures, and applicable collective agreements affecting their employment while working remotely. Unless otherwise specified, the existing terms of the applicable collective agreement for unionized employees, or of the employment contract between the employee and the City for non-union employees, remain applicable and in force while an employee is working remotely, whether through a hybrid work arrangement or ad hoc remote work.
Hybrid work arrangements and remote work locations must conform to all Ontario employment laws, including but not limited to the Employment Standards Act, 2000, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Regardless of work location, employees remain responsible to complete their work and meet all performance expectations. Employees working remotely, including as part of a hybrid work arrangement, must continue to perform their work as assigned and report on progress as required or requested by their People Leader.
Notwithstanding any Hybrid Work Arrangement or Ad Hoc Remote Work Approval, employees must report to their City work location when required, including when they are requested to do so by their People Leader or when they are scheduled or requested to perform any function of their regular job which takes place at the City work location only. Employees who do not report to work when required may be marked as “Failure to Report.” This may result in loss of pay as well as disciplinary consequences to the employee.
People leaders are expected to establish reasonable requirements for accessibility and communication during work hours with employees reporting to them, regardless of work location. Employees must also report any problem encountered at their remote work location that prevents them from performing their work at that location or complying with accessibility and communication requirements established by their People Leader.
Employees working remotely under a hybrid work arrangement or on an ad hoc basis are required to meet with clients, vendors, or other City staff using City-approved communication technology and otherwise comply with the Acceptable Use Policy of Information Technology Assets Policy. If in-person contact is required, employees should meet only at a City work location or at a location which does not contravene the Conflict of Interest Policy. No business meetings shall occur in an employee’s remote work location, including meetings between the employee and their people leader.
When working remotely, employees are expected to make appropriate dependent care arrangements and manage personal responsibilities in a way that allows successful completion of their job responsibilities from their remote work location.
In-person meetings help build strong relationships and increase engagement.
Employees are required to attend meetings of the following Council decision-making bodies in-person when speaking or responding to questions:
Visual participation in virtual meetings enhances meeting effectiveness and fosters an environment that encourages presence and connection between meeting participants.
Employees attending virtual or hybrid meetings, other than those set out above which require in-person attendance, are required to be on-camera for all:
Employees may also be required by their People Leader to attend any meeting in person.
To ensure public consultation meetings meet the needs of the community and are accessible to all residents, the local Councillor must be consulted when determining whether the public consultation meeting will be in-person, hybrid, or virtual. If a public consultation is held in-person, employees are required to attend public consultations in-person. If a hybrid public consultation meeting is conducted, employees must attend the consultation in person, unless otherwise directed. If a fully virtual public consultation meeting is scheduled, employees must attend on-camera.
The above in-person attendance on-camera requirements, including in relation to Public Consultations, are subject to any accommodation provided to an employee pursuant to the City’s Accommodation Policy and Procedures, and the Human Rights Code.
Employees must ensure that any remote work location meets requirements for a safe and healthy workplace and complies with applicable occupational health and safety requirements and all City health and safety policies (see Remote Work Safety Checklist at Appendix A). People leaders are to provide direction and resources, as needed, to ensure employees can verify that their remote work locations meet health and safety requirements.
When an employee is working at the remote work location, all City policies including the Investigation and Reporting of Work-Related Injuries and Incidents Policy and Workplace Safety and Insurance Act requirements must be followed to ensure that work-related injuries and incidents are adequately investigated and reported and that corrective actions are undertaken to prevent similar injuries and incidents in the future. If a work-related injury or incident occurs at the remote work location, the employee must ensure first aid requirements are met, emergency care is administered, and report the injury to their People Leader. To support investigation of work-related incidents or injuries, reasonable access to information about the remote work location (e.g. photos, video) may be required.
The City’s Accommodation Policy and Procedures should be followed by People Leaders with advice and support from Disability Management, Employee Health and Wellness, or the Human Rights Office, as appropriate, to meet the needs of employees with pre-existing approved accommodations and to address any new accommodation requests by employees, in relation to any proposed or implemented hybrid work arrangement.
Hybrid work arrangements or ad hoc remote work is not a substitute for accommodation where required or requested by an employee.
Regardless of their work location, employees are expected to work their standard hours, including applicable eating periods and breaks as required under the Employment Standards Act or pursuant to a Collective Agreement. During their work hours, employees must focus on performing their City work. People leaders may explore staggered hours, such as earlier or later start or end times, where appropriate and consistent with business needs, an employee’s duties, and operational requirements.
Employees working at their remote work location, whether as part of a hybrid work arrangement or on an ad hoc basis, may be required to report to their regular assigned City work location on short notice due to business reasons or operational requirements, or as required by their People Leader with reasonable lead time.
Employees will not be compensated for their commute to their City work location or their remote work location, or for any travel between their regular City work location and their remote work location.
The City’s Kilometre Reimbursement Implementation Guidelines continue to apply to employees seeking reimbursement for travel which meets the reimbursement criteria set out in those Guidelines.
The City’s information is a valuable corporate asset that must be protected and managed throughout its lifecycle. Information management and privacy responsibilities do not change when an employee works outside of their City work location. It is the duty of the employee to manage and safeguard all City information, including business records and documents. Employees working remotely must comply with all City policies, processes, and legislated requirements to protect the security and confidentiality of the City’s data and information assets, including business records, as well as with all applicable requirements of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).
Employees must also maintain data security and confidentiality practices consistent with the standard expected of employees when working at their City work location. City information must not be accessed or viewed by anyone outside of the City and should not be disclosed to or discussed with anyone outside of City staff unless it is necessary and acceptable to do so for the performance of the employee’s duties.
Employees should use only City approved applications and tools including their City-issued Outlook email accounts to perform their work duties and functions when working remotely.
City information created, received, and used while an employee is working remotely must be secured, protected, and managed in accordance with the Working Remotely – Information Management & Privacy Guideline and with the Information Management Accountability Policy.
Employees must immediately notify their immediate People Leader of any breach of security at their remote work location involving the City’s data and information assets, including business records.
Any work product created, developed, or produced by employees in the course of their duties in their City position, using City equipment, during their working hours or overtime, at their remote work location, remains the property of the City in the same manner as such work product would be property of the City if created, developed, or produced by the employee at their City work location.
Employees must also refrain from:
City property provided to an employee for use at their remote work location, including office furniture with existing contracts and technology assets, remains the property of the City and may be used only for City business and purposes in accordance with City policies.
Employees are responsible for transporting back and forth the equipment required to perform their work, including laptop and accessories, between their City work location and their remote work location.
Employees must take all reasonable steps to protect any City property in their possession at a remote work location from theft, damage, or misuse, and are responsible for ensuring all items are properly used and maintained while in their possession at the remote work location, and while in transit to and from their City work location.
Employees must protect and use the technology and information assets of the City in accordance with the Acceptable Use of information Technology Assets Policy and Information Technology Asset Management Policy, and must immediately report technology issues/problems, or loss/damage/theft of City-owned devices to the Technology Services Helpdesk, and to their People Leader.
Employees are required to surrender all City property in their possession at their remote work location upon demand and return it to their City work location without delay.
The City is not responsible for loss, damage, or wear and tear of employee owned equipment or property at the employee’s remote work location. Repair and or replacement costs and liability for employee-owned equipment and furniture are the responsibility of the employee.
An employee who does not have a hybrid work arrangement may occasionally be permitted by their People Leader to perform their work from a remote work location on an ad hoc limited basis as an exception to the normal requirement for them to attend and perform work at their City work location at all times.
All relevant provisions of this Policy will apply, suitably modified, during the period the employee is working remotely on an ad hoc basis.
Ad hoc remote work is not a term and condition of employment or an
entitlement and an employee’s ad hoc remote work request may be denied by their People Leader based on operational need or any other reasonable basis.
Employees required to work from their remote work locations due to an emergency in their City work location will treat their remote work location as their primary work location and will not be required to report to their City work location until they are informed that the emergency has concluded and that it is safe for the employees to return to their City work location and their hybrid work arrangement, where applicable. The City reserves the right to require employees to attend a different City work location rather than their remote work location to perform their work for the duration of the emergency, which, in those circumstances, will become their primary work location for that period.
This Policy and the Hybrid Work Program will be monitored for compliance and periodically reviewed and updated as circumstances require or the City in its sole discretion deems appropriate.
Employees who fail to comply with the terms of this Policy or of the Hybrid Work Program may be subject to disciplinary consequences up to and including termination.
The information that follows is intended to assist those working remotely in identifying practices that will enable their work to be performed in a healthy, safe, and comfortable environment.
City Manager
March 23, 2022
November 7, 2023