Many public servants in biggest federal departments breaking remote work rules [Video]

Large numbers of public servants working in the federal government’s three biggest departments aren’t following Ottawa’s three-days-per-week office work rule, federal data shows.

The federal government’s latest remote work mandate, which took effect in early September, requires all staff employed under the Treasury Board to work on-site a minimum of three days a week. Executives are expected to work in the office four days a week.

The Canadian Press asked for compliance rates from a number of federal departments, including the three with the largest workforces — the Department of National Defence (DND), the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada.

Of those three, DND, which employs about 28,700 people, saw the lowest rate of compliance with the three-day rule, especially in the National Capital Region.

The department says its average rate of compliance with the three-day rule in January was 60 per cent — but just 31 …