February 2, 2026
RED FM News Desk
Thousands of Alberta government employees returned to their offices full time on Monday, marking the official end of the province’s hybrid-work option that was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) says many workers are unhappy with the move to a full-time, in-office schedule. The union claims employees were ordered back in part to help stimulate local economies—an assertion the provincial government has denied.
To highlight their frustration, AUPE members placed brown paper lunch bags on their desks on their first day back, each bearing a note that read: “Hybrid work tastes better.” The union described the display as a visual campaign aimed at both colleagues and the employer.
“Members are bringing these to work to spread the word about the campaign to colleagues — and to send a powerful visual message to the employer that this issue is important to us,” AUPE said in a statement Monday.
The union noted that some exceptions to the full-time return have been granted for certain workers.
According to the province, more than 12,000 government employees previously participated in hybrid arrangements that allowed them to work from home part of the time. Officials say circumstances have changed and that bringing workers back into offices will strengthen collaboration and improve service delivery.
AUPE estimates that about 9,000 of its roughly 23,000 members were part of the hybrid-work program.
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