The advent of teleworking is accompanied by greater worker satisfaction with their work-life balance. But even if it saves more than an hour daily, women do not benefit as much as men.
Data released Tuesday by Statistics Canada on 2022 time use shows that more than two-thirds (68%) of teleworkers say they are satisfied or very satisfied with their work-life balance. This is significantly more than those who report to the office daily, where 56% say they are satisfied or very satisfied.
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” Most [des télétravailleurs] will say that there is a better work-family balance, explains Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, professor of human resources management and work organization at TELUQ University. The pros clearly outweigh the cons. »
In addition to showing greater work-life satisfaction, teleworkers save themselves on average more than an hour per day of commuting time. They can thus reallocate this time elsewhere, particularly in their personal life.
“Going to take the children back to daycare or school takes less time than if I then have to continue to the city center [pour aller au bureau], adds Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay. Most people consider that this time saving makes work-life balance significantly easier. »
According to her, barely 10% of teleworkers experience negative effects linked to working at home.
There is no evidence in the study to show the effects of hybrid working on time use habits.
The survey shows, however, that teleworkers onsite at the time of data collection are more likely to report high levels of time pressure than those who were at home that day.
They are also more likely to reduce their sleep hours and worry about not spending enough time with family and friends.
A disparity between genders
The Statistics Canada survey also shows that several gaps persist between women and men when it comes to working at home.
Data shows that teleworking allows you to allocate additional time to household tasks, regardless of gender. On average, teleworkers spend 21% more than non-teleworkers. However, women spend more time on housework than men.
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Parents who work from home also gain more time with their children, 71 minutes more daily.
However, mothers spend 52 minutes more looking after their children than fathers, regardless of the work format.
A difficult return to face-to-face
Workspaces have changed significantly since the pandemic. Many employers have decided in particular to rearrange offices into open areas with unassigned seats.
For Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, this reconfiguration of workspaces depersonifies the workers’ environment to the detriment of their return to face-to-face work.
“If the office is an open area with unassigned positions, people evaluate working in the office more negatively,” she says.
The professor adds that these new configurations can also reduce the ability of certain people to concentrate.
The 2022 Time Use Survey (TFS) was conducted among 12,336 people aged 15 and over living in the 10 provinces. Its objective was to observe whether teleworking from home is associated with different time use habits.