The City of Hamilton’s Audit, Finance, and Administration Committee, which is composed of eight councillors, recently voted to require city staff with hybrid working arrangements to be in-person more often.
The motion, which passed in a 6-1 vote and was later ratified unanimously at Council, sets a requirement for hybrid city staff to be in office 50 per cent of the time.
Currently, staff are required to come into their office a minimum of two days per week.
The motion was moved by Councillor Mike Spadafora (Ward 14 – West Mountain) and seconded by Councillor Maureen Wilson (Ward 1 – Chedoke-Cootes-Westdale).
Spadafora explained that his motivation for the motion primarily had to do with city staff “morale and culture.”
“I think we can become better when we’re together,” he said.
“I have been involved in sports my whole life. The best teams were always the teams that were together. They were never the teams that were apart.”
“For me, it’s less about saying I want people in the office because they are not working at home, it is ‘I think this will help build a better culture and even better morale.’”
However, other councillors flagged that they believe the hybrid work arrangement is causing service issues at the city.
One of those councillors was M. Wilson, who commented, “I do not want to be disparaging, but I have received some feedback in my consultation with small businesspeople, small developers, big developers, that they have experienced some frustration when they are coming in to receive a permit or get a permit.”
She continued that sometimes the individual who has carriage of that permit is not in for “face-to-face engagement” until “the next week.”
Councillor Jeff Beattie (Ward 10 – Stoney Creek-Fruitland-Winona) said that he has heard “similar things.”
“The terminology that is sometimes used by constituents that are trying to do business with the City of Hamilton is what they refer to as a revolving door, that every time they come to the window, there’s somebody different.”
Councillor Brad Clark (Ward 9 – Upper Stoney Creek) added, “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.”
However, Clark also lamented that getting staff to be in their office 50 per cent of the time still will not solve the issue entirely.
“We are going to need to rely on our principles to ensure that we have good customer service by responding to the phone calls, responding to the individuals, whether our employees are here or at home,” he concluded.
The City of Hamilton’s Executive Director of Human Resources, Lora Fontana, attended the meeting and explained that the decision would impact approximately 1,700 (or 20 per cent) of the city’s 8,500 employees.
Fontana added that “competitors within the industry” are also moving towards a 50 per cent in-office model, and that if the motion had not come forward, then she likely would have brought forward a report recommending the move anyway.
Councillor Alex Wilson (Ward 13 – Dundas-Central Flamborough) was the lone councillor to vote against the motion, mainly arguing that a report should be made first to consider all the potential impacts of the policy change.
For example, Wilson noted that changing the policy could impact staff recruitment and retention, an area in which the city has struggled.
Nevertheless, with the vote passing, the change will be implemented on Jan. 1, 2026.
The somewhat lengthy transition is “to provide adequate time for any employee adjustments or arrangements.”
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
