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"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.
What are the challenges you find with hybrid work? Share your experience with our colleagues in the comments section below.
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3 Comments
The biggest challenges I face with hybrid work from home is balancing my family responsibilities with work. My family sees me sitting in the dining room and thinks I should be available. I also struggle to stop working as my work is right their in my dining room, some days I just keep going and forget to log off.
2 years agoFor me working from home creates a challenge to get up and away from the desk. I tend to work longer when you consider the level of interruptions and breaks taken while at work.
2 years agoI appreciate the flexibility of hybrid work but I do agree that it is harder to make time to take breaks, disconnect and separate home from work. The end of the day is tough because there is always one more thing to do. Normally I would have the drive home on top of my workday so I would make sure to shut things down at a consistent time. I also don’t have much human interaction throughout the day which can also inhibit creativity and the collaborative spirit.
2 years ago