Rogers headquarters in downtown Toronto. The company is requiring employees to work full time from the office in the new year, joining other corporate employers who are enforcing more in-person work hours.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
Rogers Communications Inc. RCI-B-T is the latest company asking employees to return to the office full time.
On Thursday, the Toronto-based telecommunications and media company told corporate employees that they would be required to return to the office four days a week during the fall, and five days a week in the new year.
In a statement, the company said it was doing so to support the development of teams and employees’ career growth.
“We’re taking a phased approach to help our employees and their families adjust to the change,“ said Rogers spokesperson Zac Carreiro.
In an internal memo sent to company employees Thursday, chief human resources officer Marisa Fabiano said the four-day schedule would begin in October, and the five-day schedule in February. Employees are currently required in the office three days a week.
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She said the change was intended to help improve cross-functional collaboration and that the company would be flexible with things such as appointments and caring for family members.
She said that there would be no change for the company’s front-line and production employees. It’s unclear what the expectations are for them.
The company had about 24,000 employees at the end of 2024, according to its latest annual report. However, this also includes employees who do not work in the company’s offices, such as technicians.
Rogers rival BCE Inc. BCE-T said there are no changes at this time to its three-day in-office policy.
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Telus Corp. said that roughly 90 per cent of employees work on a flexible hybrid schedule. The telecom said it would continue to evaluate and evolve its policies to support employee and business needs.
Rogers is not the only company walking back work-from-home policies that became widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Toronto-Dominion Bank TD-T said it will require staff to work in the office four days a week starting in November at most locations, The Globe reported. The bank cited more effective collaboration and decision-making from in-person workplaces.
In recent months, Royal Bank of Canada RY-T, Bank of Montreal BMO-T and Bank of Nova Scotia BNS-T also set requirements for employees to work in the office four days a week.
Rogers has been streamlining operations in the wake of its $20-billion acquisition of Shaw Communications, which closed in 2023. More recently, Rogers acquired a majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, sold a stake in its backhaul operations, and reached an $11-billion broadcast rights deal with the NHL.
Rogers has also been working to reduce its long-term debt, which stood at $39.9-billion as of June 30.
The company has shed thousands of jobs in recent years, and earlier this month it ended a contract with a third-party customer service provider, affecting an estimated 900 jobs.