The question seems settled: hybrid work is now unavoidable.
For employees, flexibility and hybrid working are no longer desirable benefits, but prerequisites, confirms a new study.
However, a gap persists between employee expectations and employer requirements.
No less than 86% of Quebec employees say that flexibility in terms of work location and hours has a direct impact on their intention to keep or leave a job.
However, 56% of Quebec employers have implemented or plan to implement a mandatory number of days at the office each week.
That’s according to the second edition of the Hybrid Work Study, conducted by Cisco Canada in partnership with Angus Reid.
For this survey conducted between December 9 and 15, 2022, some 1,000 employees and 509 employers were interviewed across Canada.
“Nobody has a crystal ball over a five- to ten-year horizon, but it’s clear that hybrid working is here to stay,” notes Jean-Claude Ouellet, vice-president of sales and operations for the commercial sector. in Canada at Cisco. “For several reasons, and first of all the people. »
When Quebecers choose an employer, flexible working conditions rank second among their priorities (21% of responses), after salary (33%), but ahead of work-life balance (18%) .
The hybrid in manners
The new survey confirms that hybrid working has become even more entrenched.
Across Canada, 47% of telecommuting or hybrid working employees say this organization has had a very positive impact on work-life balance – a substantial improvement from the 2021 survey .
“There is an increase of about 16% of employees who say they prefer teleworking by far, notes Jean-Claude Ouellet. It was already very high in 2021. Their personal quality of life is better, their family quality of life is better, and they feel much more productive and successful in the office. »
In Canada, 91% of companies with 50 or more employees have implemented hybrid work measures for at least some of their employees.
Quebecers among the most satisfied
In Quebec, 85% of employees say hybrid working has had a positive impact on their work-life balance. This is the highest rate in the country, which averages 79%.
With a proportion of 87%, Quebec employees rank second in the country for satisfaction with their employer’s measures for their well-being and work-life balance. Alberta led with 89%.
A gap with the employer
However, in both Canada and Quebec, a gap persists between employee preferences and employer intentions.
Although eight in ten Canadian employees (81%) say that flexible working policies strongly influence the decision to keep or leave a job, 61% of employers impose a certain number of mandatory days in the office.
This constraint is one of the two surprises that the survey reserved for Jean-Claude Ouellet.
“For me, it’s a shock. Considering that more than 80% of employees consider hybrid working to be a very competitive advantage for a job, it is surprising to see that employers still lack flexibility. »
And an explanation
Why this discrepancy? Many employers still fear that working from home or the technical challenges of remote work will hamper performance and productivity, says Jean-Claude Ouellet. “Remember, before COVID-19, the perception that people working remotely were going to do everything except their work,” he underlines.
On the contrary, “it has been proven that people are more efficient in teleworking”. “There is no company that has sent its people to work from home during the pandemic that has seen a drop in productivity. »
A worry
Although they have a clear preference for hybrid working, 46% of employees worry that their more diligent colleagues in the office have more opportunities for advancement or better job prospects.
This was Jean-Claude Ouellet’s second surprise. “There is a big fear,” he said.
Teleworking, however, opens up new perspectives that were once unlikely, he argues.
“I am the best example. I’ve worked at Cisco for 24 years. Before the pandemic, the chances were very limited that someone established in Montreal would have a role at the Canadian level. Since the pandemic, I have many colleagues in Montreal or elsewhere who have had promotions for positions for all of Canada. »