'It's very disruptive': Kinew looking at remote, hybrid work practices in public sector

Doctors and nurses may soon start seeing more managers in the workplace once again.

Premier Wab Kinew says his government will look at the hybrid or remote work practice in the public sector over the next few months.

“If you work with people who have no choice but to show up on the front lines, then I think we need to show up too,” Kinew said at an event Friday.

During the pandemic, many workers across North America left office spaces behind and began working remotely.

Conversely, people on the front lines, like doctors, nurses, snow plow operators and more, continued to work in person.

Premier Kinew questioned how managers are able to manage people who must show up in person if they’re not doing the same.

“I think it's tough for us to credibly say we're going to improve the culture or we're going to match the commitment of people on the front lines if we're not showing up ourselves, he said.

"And just a workflow thing. I don't think hybrid is good. It's very disruptive if you have a creative conversation around a room of five people and then there's four people jumping in on a remote call type of setup.”

In a statement, the Manitoba Nurses Union expressed support for the idea of bringing managers back into the workplace.

“We think this is a great example of cultural change in health care. MNU has long said that managers who are not dialled in to the daily happenings in a work environment are not only out of touch, but cannot add any value to a work culture.”

Frontline workers don’t have the ability to work from home for the most part. Patients and staff cannot remove themselves from the chaos and stress that often exists in health care.

So, knowing managers will be onsite could lead to a better understanding of the challenges staff face.

Premier Kinew says his government is not mandating any changes to remote work arrangements at this moment. He says he first plans to try and build a consensus with workers over the next few months.

A Shared Health spokesperson said in an email that, "Shared Health is committed to review workplace environments for our employees across the province."