Do Canadian Workers Believe Working From Home Increases Productivity?
HALIFAX – It has become obvious that the trend of working from home is here to stay for many office workers, long after everyone is vaccinated, and the economy fully opens. But there has been much debate over whether remote working is more productive or less productive than working in a communal office setting.
A study conducted earlier this year by Capterra shows that employees are split on this question. They surveyed 1,000 Canadians and found that 34 percent say they are more productive and 33 percent say they are less productive; the remainder of those surveyed said they have seen no difference in their productivity levels.
People are still split on working from home because of differing work/home environments, and differing personalities. Of those who have become more productive at home, 71 percent say there are fewer distractions compared to the workplace. Conversely, 52 percent of those who dislike working from home say there are too many distractions in their own dwellings.
Working from home has proven to have some key benefits. 68 percent of those who like having a remote workplace say flexible work hours have increased their productivity, while 66 percent say not having a morning commute anymore has a positive effect on their job.
Regardless of the split in opinion, the survey notes that employees, overwhelmingly, expect to work from home at least part of the time after the pandemic is over.
“Despite the challenges of remote working, 85 percent of employees who began working at home during the pandemic said they would like to continue doing so in some sense in the future,” Tessa Anaya, content and research analyst at Capterra, told Huddle Today.
“Most employees would adopt a hybrid model, with over 58 percent of employees preferring to work remotely at least 50 percent of the time. While a small percentage of workers surveyed (14%) would want to work from home entirely, it’s most likely that a balance between at-home and in-office work will be the preferred choice once the pandemic is over.”
While the survey was done Canada-wide, a different survey shows the working-from-home trend has taken hold in Canada. A 2021 study done by the Downtown Halifax Business Commission showed that only 39 percent of downtown businesses have staff working full time in the office, while 18 percent are working full-time from home. The highest percentage (41 percent) are working a hybrid model.
Capterra notes that an employee’s home life situation is likely to affect whether it is more suitable to work at home or at the office.
“Single parents, for example, who have had to juggle home-schooling alone at points during the pandemic, are much more likely to favour the workplace for productivity (55 percent compared to 33 percent overall). Employers must be aware of their employee’s differing home stops when devising remote working strategies after the pandemic is over,” states the survey.
The survey also found that a person’s profession will have a lot to do with their preference for working at home versus the office.
“As remote working requires different skills than in-office work, specific industries may be more or less able to adapt to the change,” says Tessa Anaya. “For example, 66 percent of employees surveyed working in accounting said their setup was better in the office, while 53 percent of workers in manufacturing say it’s better at home.”
Working from home has increased job satisfaction overall. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 33 per cent of those surveyed say they like their job, while 22 percent like it less. Not surprisingly, employees are increasingly viewing the ability to work from home as a key benefit when considering employment options. Of those surveyed, 37 percent say “the ability to control my own work hours” is the most important factor when considering a new job. The most important factor (62 percent) is pay and benefits.
The survey suggests that skill development has been an issue for those working remotely. According to Capterra, only 44 percent said they picked up a new skill during the pandemic while working from home. For those that did find new skills remotely, 24 percent say it was the employer who offered training, while 18 percent said they found the new skills themselves.
To read the full Capterra survey, visit the website below.
https://www.capterra.ca/blog/1965/productivity-when-working-from-home-7-insights-from-canadian-employees