Canadian employers continue to face an uphill battle to get employees back into the office, according to a new study by the Angus Reid Institute..The research from the non-profit institute comes after the federal government recently announced a mandatory return to the office for all public servants..Among those who currently work from home at least some of the time, which comprises three-quarters of those surveyed, 36% said they’d return to the office full-time with no issues if they were asked to do so..However, a similar proportion (31%) said they would return, but consider switching jobs, with 21% likely to hand their notice in should they be ordered back into the office..Remote working may have initially been seen as a temporary measure at the beginning of the pandemic, but millions remain working from home, at least temporarily, three years on..Only half those who work from home said they enjoy either good or great connections to their colleagues, compared to 84% of on-site employees..Nevertheless, 81% of remote workers provided a positive response when questioned on their work-life balance, compared to just 54% of those who work on location..Importantly, neither work arrangement appears to be more advantageous in terms of productivity, with nearly the same proportion of on-site workers (77%) saying they are as productive as remote workers (81%)..The data will not make decisions easy for employers whether to order their staff back into the office in Canada’s employee-favoured labour market..The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from Feb. 9-12, 2023 among a representative randomized sample of 1,622 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.
Canadian employers continue to face an uphill battle to get employees back into the office, according to a new study by the Angus Reid Institute..The research from the non-profit institute comes after the federal government recently announced a mandatory return to the office for all public servants..Among those who currently work from home at least some of the time, which comprises three-quarters of those surveyed, 36% said they’d return to the office full-time with no issues if they were asked to do so..However, a similar proportion (31%) said they would return, but consider switching jobs, with 21% likely to hand their notice in should they be ordered back into the office..Remote working may have initially been seen as a temporary measure at the beginning of the pandemic, but millions remain working from home, at least temporarily, three years on..Only half those who work from home said they enjoy either good or great connections to their colleagues, compared to 84% of on-site employees..Nevertheless, 81% of remote workers provided a positive response when questioned on their work-life balance, compared to just 54% of those who work on location..Importantly, neither work arrangement appears to be more advantageous in terms of productivity, with nearly the same proportion of on-site workers (77%) saying they are as productive as remote workers (81%)..The data will not make decisions easy for employers whether to order their staff back into the office in Canada’s employee-favoured labour market..The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from Feb. 9-12, 2023 among a representative randomized sample of 1,622 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.
