Most Canadians want employers to be flexible on hybrid work arrangements in the future, survey finds

Downtown Ottawa is seen in this April 29, 2024 photograph. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

Most Canadians want employers to be flexible on hybrid work policies in the future, saying work-from-home arrangements enhance employee productivity and well-being, according to a new survey.

Spark*Advocacy conducted a national survey on behalf of the Public Service Alliance of Canada as tens of thousands of federal government employees were required to return to the office a minimum of three days a week this fall.

The survey of 1,635 Canadian adults finds 81 per cent of respondents say remote work is "good for employees," while 68 per cent report hybrid work has "improved productivity." Respondents aged 30 to 44 had the highest satisfaction with hybrid work, with 82 per cent saying remote work is good for employees and 73 per cent indicating it has improved productivity.

When it comes to the impact of remote work, 73 per cent of respondents said hybrid work has made them more creative and passionate, 72 per cent said it made them happier and more enthusiastic about work and 68 per cent said they were more efficient in a remote work environment.

As the federal government and companies continue to assess the future of hybrid work, the survey finds 63 per cent of Canadians want employers to keep hybrid work "flexible so that managers and workers can make the best choices for each workplace," while 22 per cent believe companies should shift to as much remote work as possible.

"These results make it clear that Canadians believe that the growth in remote or flexible work arrangements has proven to be not only useful in the context of a pandemic but deserves to be a permanent part of the working life in many organizations," Bruce Anderson, partner at Spark*Advocacy, said in a statement.

"A key element of public opinion is a belief that each workplace can be different and that 'one size fits all' rules around work are probably not the best approach to achieving the best for employers or for workers."

As of Sept. 9, all federal employees in the core public service are required to be in the office a minimum of three days a week, while executives must be in the office four days a week.

Public section unions have expressed opposition to the government's new telework mandate, which began at the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020.

"It makes no sense in going back to a workplace that doesn’t meet the needs of the workers. It makes no sense when they're able to do it from home comfortably and be able to meet their own work-life balance needs," Sharon DeSousa, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, told CTV Morning Live on Sept. 9.

Newly released documents suggest the Treasury Board Secretariat focused on public scrutiny in its decision to mandate workers back to the office three days a week. The documents, obtained by PSAC, analyzed recent data and global trends various work models and examined the benefits and challenges implementing a return-to-work policy.

Slides prepared by Treasury Board in May 2022 recommended a "flexible first" approach "without prescribed office parameters" as the optimal model for hybrid work in the public sector, touting its benefits in boosting productivity and geographically distributed talent pool and various environmental benefits.

PSAC says the documents reveal the government ignored their own evidence and "steamrolled" ahead with a plan by focusing on public scrutiny of flexible work models.

The federal government has said the new hybrid work arrangement "reflects the benefits that consistent in person interactions offer."

Christiane Fox, Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council, told CTV News Ottawa in August that a return to the office will "help our ability to perform as organizations.”

“I think that our expectation is that, as we build stronger teams and stronger cultures, that leads to better services to Canadians, which is our ultimate objective,” said Fox.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's William Eltherington