Office spaces closing for the holiday season

On December 15, 2020, the Quebec government announced new containment measures for the holiday season, the idea being to take advantage of the usual slowdown in activities during this period to try to blunt the second wave of COVID-19 infections.

Among the various measures, one in particular caught our attention.

According to the new directives, all persons working in offices throughout the province will be required to work from home from December 17, 2020 to January 10, 2021, inclusively. The only possible exception to this rule is if an employer deems that the physical presence of a worker at the office is necessary for the continued operation of the business or organization.

To avoid any ambiguity and to ensure compliance with these new public health guidelines, we recommend that Quebec employers require all employees for whom it is actually possible to work from home to do so during the above-mentioned period. This applies not only to workers in downtown office buildings, but also those working in offices at a factory or production facility.

This approach will ensure that companies are in compliance with the temporary public health guidelines in place for the holiday season. By the same token, they will not have to worry about a potential future investigation by public authorities. Please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team for any questions on this matter.