Make way for readers | The end of compulsory telework

Unsurprisingly, opinions are divided among our readers as to a possible return to the face-to-face office. Here is an overview of the emails received following our call to all on the end of mandatory telework.

Posted at 4:00 p.m.

The intangible

For my part, the return to the office being voluntary, I will return very early on Monday morning. Telecommuting has undeniable advantages for many, such as parents of young children. Moreover, telework cannot replace all the intangible human contact so that a work team develops its spirit of belonging. Welcoming and training new employees, improvised discussions that quickly settle many small details without a meeting Teams in series, the perception of things left unsaid during discussions, and so on. But even more, better possibilities of detecting our colleagues who are not doing well in these moments of major adjustments in society.

Simon Trépanier, Rimouski

Better quality of life

We’ll be working from home for almost two years now and I hope our leaders have understood the benefits of this change. It has been shown that job satisfaction and team spirit have not been altered in my group. Just not spending two or three hours a day in traffic has made us happier people with a better quality of life. It’s nearly 10 to 15 hours a week that we have been able to devote, for some, to the children, and for my part, to take the time to think about myself. No, I don’t want to go back to the office. I love the quality of life that telecommuting gives me.

Marie-Claude Geoffroy, Sainte-Julie

Too early

We haven’t gotten there, in my opinion. The dates of deconfinement follow one another too quickly, without waiting to see its effects. So, in my opinion, bosses should not rush to ask their employees to come back to the office. Especially since a good proportion of them will return there backwards.

Sylvie Lamontagne

May chaos come first

No return to the office, it costs too much. And the bosses have not changed their approach. I don’t know what they are waiting for, but they are not adapted to the reality of 2022. So I will wait a year or two to see what will happen. Until then, good chaos.

Pierre Longpre

At last !

At last ! Return of teamwork, giggles in the hallways, lunches to talk about things other than work. Offices full.

Chantal Haineault, Saint-Bruno

Improve the quality of services

My experience of the last two years leads me to believe that teleworking has not at all improved the quality of the various services, governmental or otherwise. The long waiting times to speak to a real person, the increasing number of voicemail boxes, unjustifiable return call delays, not to mention the general carelessness of some respondents. You can’t always level down. On the contrary, it is necessary to offer appropriate supervision to the workers, which, unfortunately, is often impossible with telework. In my opinion, face-to-face work constitutes one of the bases of the workers’ reality and enables the provision of services of an acceptable quality… which we have been lacking for two years.

Louise April

Waste of time and money

Coming back to the office is a waste of time and money for me. Waste of time in the car, hallway and door frame conversations. Loss of money: gasoline, parking, restaurant lunches, etc. The proof has been made for two years that remote work is also, if not more effective. So, I hope I don’t have to go back to the office.

Celine Leclerc

Employees, not enough chairs

I am a federal civil servant. During the pandemic, my employer hired a high number of new employees. Even if we wanted to, there aren’t enough desks left in my establishment for us all to get back to our chairs. Apparently, my employer plans to provide a platform that would be used to reserve a work space if we want to return to the office occasionally. I don’t think my employer will demand that we all go back to face-to-face.

Manon Clermont

A welcome hybrid formula

I look forward ! I miss my team, the ease of communication, our efficiency. I’m fed up with Teams and soft laundry. But make no mistake, I love telecommuting. I just believe that the ideal solution lies in the hybrid formula. With us, management will now offer the possibility of teleworking two days a week. We are very grateful, especially since barely two years ago, teleworking was not accepted at all. We’re going back to the office on March 14 and I can’t wait to get back to our little hallway discussions!

Veronique Dion, Terrebonne

An environmental gain to be maintained

No longer having to prove itself and considering our race against time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it would be appropriate to make teleworking permanently compulsory. Yes, once every 10 or 20 days, we might have to show up for certain activities, but overall, the environmental gain is too significant to be dragged down by managerial whims. For the environmental fight, the great challenge of our century, there can be no half measures. By clearing the roads of workers who absolutely do not need to be present, we facilitate the movement of those who really need to be there. Smaller offices will consume less energy, there will be less wear and tear on cars, fewer cars. It is time to realize that there is no turning back.

Eric Cloutier, Laval


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