A new survey by Spark*Advocacy has found that most Canadians want employers to be flexible on hybrid work policies in the future, as work-from-home arrangements enhance employee productivity and well-being. The survey of 1,635 Canadian adults found that 81% of respondents say remote work is “good for employees,” while 68% report hybrid work has “improved productivity.” Respondents aged 30 to 44 had the highest satisfaction with hybrid work, with 82% saying it is good for employees and 73% indicating it has improved productivity.
The impact of remote work was also noted by 73% of respondents, who said it made them more creative and passionate, 72% happier and more enthusiastic about work, and 68% more efficient in a remote work environment. As the federal government and companies continue to assess the future of hybrid work, 63% of Canadians want employers to keep hybrid work “flexible so that managers and workers can make the best choices for each workplace,” while 22% believe companies should shift to as much remote work as possible.
Public section unions have expressed opposition to the government’s new telework mandate, which began at the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Public section unions argue that it makes no sense to return to a workplace that doesn’t meet the needs of workers, as they can do it from home comfortably and meet their own work-life balance needs.
Newly released documents suggest the Treasury Board Secretariat focused on public scrutiny in its decision to mandate workers back to the office three days a week. The documents recommend a “flexible first” approach without prescribed office parameters as the optimal model for hybrid work in the public sector, touting its benefits in boosting productivity and geographically distributed talent pool.
Source: CTV News
