"Remote work flourished during the pandemic as companies temporarily closed their offices, but it has created a schism among Canadian employees. While experts say 40% of work in Canada can be done remotely, 60% of workers cannot access this benefit because they're required to be onsite", according to Benefits Canada.

"So when 60% of the workforce is excluded from this massive change, that's obviously going to have some implications for society," states Erica Pimentel, assistant professor of accounting at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University.

Could this be the beginning of two types of employees, those who are needed on-site and those who can do hybrid work? This might be the case, as discussed in the 17th Floor's recent panel discussion, "How to Build Community and Meaning in a Hybrid World of Work". In this session, Dr. Vince Molinaro (entrepreneur and leadership advisor) and Bianca Mueller (Wagepoint's Community Manager and member of the 17th Floor Board of Advisors) shared the new tendencies that Canadian companies are adopting, the new role of employees, and how managers should be leading these changes.

Canadian companies now face the challenge of balancing working from the office and home. CEOs and managers should team to learn how hybrid work functions in their companies, how their employees feel, how managers assure employee engagement and how employees adapt to the new technologies without affecting productivity.

"The appropriateness of remote work is very job dependent. It isn't conducive to brainstorming, socialization, coaching, mentoring, onboarding, team-building and client satisfaction," claims Ross Marowits. Not every company will benefit from remote work, and not every employee will work better from home. For this reason, companies should aim to find a delicate balance between hybrid work in the last half of this year and during 2023.

So, how can companies face this challenge? According to Bianca Mueller the best way to adapt to the hybrid work trend is to consult with experts, get in touch with colleagues to ask for advice on what worked for them, and spread the word on what was successful for you. This is the new reality, and we're all adapting and learning together.