Public sector unions are in a frenzy over Premier François Legault’s plan to require Quebec civil servants to work from the office three days a week, up from the current two, by the end of January. 

That’s it. Not five days. Not full-time cubicles. Just one additional day of showing up in person.

The Quebec public servants union (SFPQ), which represents roughly 27,000 government employees, is portraying the policy as an existential threat. Union president Christian Daigle insists there is “no added value” to the change, despite conceding that in-person work is beneficial, particularly for new hires.

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According to an internal union survey of 7,000 members, 87% claim the move will increase stress, 82% say work-life balance will suffer, and 63% predict lower productivity. Perhaps most tellingly, nearly 70% say they would consider quitting if required to spend more time in the office.

All of that, over one additional day at the office.

That’s two days working from home, three days in the office — a hybrid setup that surely millions of private-sector workers would gladly take.

In fact, numerous studies suggest hybrid work models outperform full-time remote arrangements. Data supports structured hybrid models as maximizing productivity, retention, and well-being. It does not back five-day office mandates, but it also does not justify zero-attendance, permanent work-from-home arrangements.

Endless Zoom calls and isolation may sound convenient, but they often come at the expense of team building and hinder career potential.

Even Daigle admits that office work plays a key role for younger employees. And with staff dispersed across the province, many meetings remain virtual regardless. So what, exactly, is the emergency?

Across the country, other governments have already gone much further. Ontario has returned many public servants to the office five days a week, Alberta is moving in the same direction, and the federal government now mandates a minimum of three in-office days. By comparison, Quebec’s policy isn’t radical but rather well within the national norm.

The move comes as Quebec faces plans to eliminate 5,000 public-sector jobs by 2027. The union believes that this is no coincidence, alluding to the return-to-office push as a calculated step to meet workforce reduction targets, according to CTV.

Though some employees are willing to take a 25% pay cut for full-time remote work, that doesn’t appear to be the case with Quebec’s public servants, and a lot of uncertainty remains around the sustainability of permanent work-from-home.

From burnout to blurred boundaries and stalled professional development, there can be real consequences, even if unions prefer not to discuss them.

When asked for comment by CTV, Infrastructure Minister France-Élaine Duranceau’s office declined comment. Perhaps because there’s little to explain. Requiring employees to show up to work most of the week isn’t extreme, but rather a basic expectation of employment, especially in a public sector funded entirely by taxpayers.

Three days in the office isn’t oppression. It’s adulthood.