DM Message: Update on Increased On-site Presence

May 25, 2026 - Defence Stories

Estimated read time – 1:30

As announced on February 5, 2026, all executives are required to work onsite five days per week effective May 4, 2026. The Government has now confirmed that as of July 6, 2026, all other employees eligible for hybrid work will be required to work onsite four days per week. Many federal public servants are already onsite full-time based on the nature of their work.

Due to space constraints and in recognition of anticipated growth, the Department of National Defence’s move to four days per week for all employees will be staggered according to workspace availability, beginning on July 6. As we ramp up to achieve this goal, unassigned seating will allow faster alignment with the four-day-a-week directive for office space across Canada. We will continue to work closely with Public Services and Procurement Canada to ensure that as many workspaces are available as quickly as possible and will provide more details on this staggered rollout before implementation.

Following the February announcement, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat met with bargaining agents to seek input on how to implement this plan to best support employees. These conversations focused on priorities such as providing adequate workspace and equipment, meeting our duty to accommodate obligations, and ensuring appropriate health and safety at work.

A strong theme that emerged from these sessions was the importance of assigned seating to the extent possible to support teamwork. As a result, the Defence Team will be moving towards an assigned seating model in the long term.

We recognize that this may take time to implement as we require more workspace and some of our buildings require reconfiguration. More information will be communicated to you prior to implementation.

While we will do our utmost to assure as smooth a transition and implementation as possible, there will undoubtedly still be challenges as we move forward. Know that we remain committed to supporting you as we move forward together. If you have specific concerns that you would like to discuss, please reach out to your manager.

Thank you for your professionalism and continued dedication.

Christiane Fox
Deputy Minister