Rogers Pulls the Plug on Hybrid Work: Full-Time Office by 2026

Rogers is asking its corporate employees to prepare for more in-office time. Starting this fall, staff will be expected to come in four days a week — and by February 2026, that jumps to five.

The company shared the update in a memo to employees on Thursday, part of a move it says is aimed at helping teams collaborate more and support long-term career growth.

In a statement to the Globe and Mail, Rogers spokesperson Zac Carreiro said, “We’re taking a phased approach to help our employees and their families adjust to the change.”

Currently, corporate staff are required to be in the office three days per week. The company noted that front-line and production workers are not affected by the policy change, though it’s unclear what their future expectations will be. During COVID-19, remote work was the norm. But big companies have since shifted back to office work, including the likes of major big banks in Canada.

Rogers, which had about 24,000 employees at the end of 2024, is the latest major company to scale back remote work flexibility.  By contrast, Bell says it has no plans to change its current three-day policy. Telus says around 90% of its employees remain on a flexible hybrid schedule and that it will “continue to evaluate and evolve its policies.”

Since its $20-billion takeover of Shaw in 2023, Rogers has trimmed costs, sold infrastructure assets, signed an $11-billion NHL broadcast rights deal, and taken a majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (buying out Bell’s share).

Rogers is also working to reduce its $39.9-billion debt, and earlier this month, about 900 customer service jobs were affected after Rogers ended a contract with a third-party provider, instead putting efforts into an AI chatbot.