Uncertainty about staff health and morale remain

Several UW staff have expressed concerns about new work guidelines sent out to the university community, which outline an expectation that university staff work on campus five days a week effective Jan. 1 2026.

The staff raised questions on how the guidelines will affect the health and morale of employees on campus.

The revisions were supported by Executive Council members, Human Resources, and campus leaders, including some from the UW Staff Association (UWSA). Within the email, UW states this change is reflective of “[their] commitment to in-person collaboration, service excellence, and campus vitality.”

Fears on the spread of respiratory illnesses

An academic support unit staff member and a member of the Covid Action, Response and Equity (CARE) Coalition UW, who asked to remain unnamed, expressed concern for a potential rise in respiratory viruses on campus, citing that many offices “moved to open-air work environments (e.g., cubicles, hot desks) in the last five years.” They said that as a result, the lack of barriers or singular office rooms can mean viruses spread more easily through the air.

As of this article, Health Services no longer offers COVID-19 rapid antigen tests and provides blue medical masks only to staff, visitors, and patients.

As such, they added that they believe the drop of university mask mandates and lack of encouragement for staff to get vaccinated or stay at home when symptomatic may contribute to notable rises in virus spread once in-person work becomes more prevalent. A notable fear they expressed is that the guideline change “will mean staff feel even more pressure to come into the office when sick, putting staff who are already at higher risk of severe outcomes at even higher risk.”

Another staff member who also asked to remain anonymous is a student support advisor and similarly felt that rates of illness are likely to rise as a result of the mandate. They said that “people feel less [inclined] to work from home when they’re symptomatic but don’t feel sick ‘enough’ to take a sick day.”

Prior to the release of the new working guidelines, UW’s “general expectation” was that staff work from campus five days a week, but that “some roles and employees may benefit from a thoughtfully designed hybrid work arrangement.”

Though this caveat still exists, the student support advisor said they “wouldn’t be surprised if people don’t feel like they can [work from home] — the risk of being perceived as someone taking advantage of the policy might be high in a work culture that implies that people work from home in order to slack off.”

The student support advisor added that the poor ventilation of the building they work in will likely contribute to the spread of respiratory disease among staff.

When it comes to measures UW could take to minimize the risk of illness, they expressed greater emphasis on masking by the university, offering free high quality masks, and encouraging staff to stay home when unwell.

Staff concerns regarding a return to in-person work and a rise in respiratory illness echo past concerns raised by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO). The RNAO opposed the government’s decision to remove Ontario’s mask mandate in indoor settings at the time, considering a lack of proper ventilation in school settings as well as full vaccine population coverage.

The UWSA said that although the association is “fortunate that permanent staff have generous sick-leave provisions,” when it comes to the pressure some staff may feel to work on-campus when unwell, they pointed out that contract staff only receive six paid sick days yearly. “That gap can create real pressure to work through illness,” the association said.

The UWSA also noted that immunocompromised individuals have not been directly addressed in the guidelines, thus staff in such positions “may need to be given formal accommodations.”

Nick Manning, associate vice-president, communications and institutional relations, stated in an email that the university will “continue to maintain healthy, safe, and comfortable spaces, following established health and safety standards.” He added that guidance on personal illness prevention “is also shared through the Safety Office in line with provincial recommendations.”

Concerns about morale

Asked how this policy may affect staff morale, productivity, or retention, the academic support unit staff member cited the UWSA’s 2024 survey, “which made it clear that clawing back remote work would have negative outcomes on both morale and productivity.” The survey also showed that staff who had a say in their work location “were twice as likely to say they feel valued at work, productive in their job, and satisfied with their salary.”

The staff member also echoed sentiments they have heard from colleagues across campus, “that reductions to morale are actually the main goal here, and that the university wants people to leave voluntarily to meet the reduced staff headcount they’ll need to achieve in the current budget crunch.”

Following the new guidelines, eligible staff will be welcome to submit an application for a hybrid work arrangement to work one or two days remotely per week. Such arrangements are not “entitlements” and must be approved by the staff’s manager and department leadership. The decision to grant such arrangements will be based on employee performance, operational needs, and service requirements. All hybrid work arrangements are limited to one year, after which they will be reviewed and an employee is required to resubmit an application.With reasonable notice, any arrangements may be discontinued or altered.

The student advisor was vocal in sharing they expect a widespread decrease in morale among staff “without an increase in on-campus activities and amenities.” They expressed that the higher number of individuals on campus may introduce more disruption as colleagues socialize. However, they added that the pressure on departments to increase efficiency due to budgetary concerns means resources aren’t invested into improving workplace culture or connection.

“What does the university want? Do they want a vibrant, connected, engaged campus culture, or want efficient workers who squeeze the most out of every minute?” they asked rhetorically. They expressed uncertainty over the possibility of having both, stressing that a vibrant workplace culture requires more than simply working on campus five days per week, while efficiency would require reducing friction within the workplace.

The UWSA’s 2025 Hybrid & Flexible Work Survey Report found that greater emphasis on in-person work arrangements risks “harming morale, reducing individual productivity, and making it harder for the university to retain top talent.” However, the UWSA remains hopeful that UW can mitigate this by improving flexibility within its guidelines “and other measures to help boost morale and create workspaces that support productivity.”

When it comes to the new flexible work guidelines, the UWSA said they will “be watching closely next year to see whether managers are truly empowered — and encouraged — to use that flexibility to support staff with health or caregiving needs.”

In a statement from the university, Manning said that the “new Flexible and Hybrid Work Guidelines bring clarity and consistency while recognizing that collaboration and creativity happen best when we’re together on-campus.” He added that UW’s approach “strikes a balance between the value of in-person connection and thoughtful flexibility, supporting both our people and our mission.” Employees and students are encouraged to report campus health and safety incidents on the Safety Office portal.