Council’s Audit, Finance, and Administration Committee voted 6 to 1 in favour of a motion to change the City’s hybrid work policies to require city staff to be in the office on an alternating schedule of 3 days one week and 2 days the next week (effectively 50 percent in-office presence).
The policy change will take effect on January 1, 2026.
Staff will continue to have flexibility regarding the days they work in the office. The motion does not require 6.5 hours of time in the office on those days.
Approximately 1,700 employees have hybrid work arrangements.
Ward 14 Councillor Mike Spadafora introduced the motion saying, “the best teams are always the teams that were together,” and that city management and administrative staff will have a better work culture by working together in-person 50 percent of the time.
“My intention is I think we can become better when we’re together … I don’t know that you can build morale and culture by not being together.”
City Executive Director of Human Resources Lora Fontana said “Generally speaking, the hybrid work model has been very successful.”
“We’re reaching a point, I would say that some of our new hires in recent times are not meeting their colleagues, they’re not meeting their leaders or making substantive relationships or connections with their colleagues and their leaders,” she later stated.
The motion follows concerns from Hamilton residents and businesses regarding difficulties receiving timely responses from city staff, and limited service hours for in-person transactions.
“We do have, in some cases, performance related issues that may or may not be associated with the model but the policy does provide provisions that in the event there are performance related issues that are identified by the leader, that they can end the arrangement without notice,” Fortana said in response to questions regarding productivity.
Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark asked if there have been productivity reviews to confirm this, and was told there had not been.
Fontana said there is an industry trend towards at least 50 percent in-person work.
“Most municipalities have a model where 50 percent of the workforce are in person. And this is essentially what this motion speaks to. It would be a 50 percent in-person model, two days one week, three days the next week.”
Issues Reaching and Connecting with Staff
Ward 1 Councillor Maureen Wilson says she had “received some feedback” from “small business people, small developers, big developers that they have experienced some frustration when they’re coming in to receive a permit or get a permit, and the individual who has carriage of that permit, it’s a Thursday and time is money and they are not able to get that face-to-face engagement on the status of their application until the next week.”
City staff may work ‘flexible remote hours’ and may not be working during business hours on a Friday.
Ward 10 Councillor Jeff Beattie responded by stating “I am hearing similar things.”
Clark said he is hearing the same “frustrations.”
“I’ve heard frustrations that when they come to City Hall to try and get something resolved, no one’s there or the person isn’t there. And I don’t think this is going to fix that.”
“I can tell you about my own frustrations when I’m working here at City Hall and City Hall is a ghost town and trying to get to meet with people in person is a struggle,” Clark said.
Councillors: City Workers Should Live Locally
Maureen Wilson, who seconded the motion, said City of Hamilton operations should happen in Hamilton.
“I’ve always believed that local government is about being in the local. I strongly believe that if you lead an anchor institution which is publicly based, you should live in that city or town. If you’re a planner, you should live in that city or town.”
“The more you are in that town, the more you understand how it works or how it doesn’t work. The more you understand its mentality or some of its struggles. And I think at the local level you should be in the local.”
The committee vote must be ratified by full Council on June 18.
How Council Voted
YES (6): M. Wilson, Kroetsch, Hwang, Clark, Beattie, Spadafora
NO (1): A. Wilson
ABSENT: Tadeson
Production Details
v. 1.0.0
Published: June 15, 2025
Last updated: June 15, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version