Welland expands work from home policy; now applies to unionized CUPE workers

City of Welland inside workers can now join management and non-union staff in working from home two days a week.

However, they need to fill out an application, have approval from their manager and department director and live within 200 kilometres of Welland in case they are called in at the last minute, city council heard Tuesday.

Employees must be in the office at least three days a week, and their workplace absence must not have a negative impact on a department’s ability to complete its work or provide service.

Human resources manager Andrea Daisley said the request to work from home needs to make operational sense.

“It could be denied if it is not feasible,” she said.

“We had the opportunity to try this with the management team and it was successful. Staff have been asking about it,” said Daisley, adding other municipalities allow it.

In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the city allowed managers and staff to work from home, and in December of that year city council approved a non-union alternative and flexible work arrangement policy that applied to non-union staff.

The new hybrid work policy covers nearly 80 Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1115 employees.

Daisley said the agreement will see no change to an employee’s work schedule and is not intended to be used to take care of children or a dependent at home.

“If they work seven hours a day in the office, then they work that at home. They’ll take their breaks at the same time as if they were in the office.”