The DNA of work is forever altered as offices reopen

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The past two years or more of the pandemic have permanently changed the way Canadians approach work and the workplace.

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While the economy has begun to emerge from lockdowns and restrictions, trends are beginning to emerge in how companies and their employees approach work.

According to a recent national survey by Colliers, hybrid environments continue to dominate even as companies ramp up their office work. Their results showed that 61 percent of the companies surveyed were still under this model, while only 37 percent had full-time employees in the office.

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“There are a plethora of options around flexibility, but it seems to be a key benefit that employees are looking for both nationally and provincially and in Calgary and we’re going to need to have conversations,” said Melanie Peacock, an associate professor of human resources. at the Bissett School of Business at Mount Royal University.

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“It will be the responsibility of executives, senior leaders and managers to understand that, but then clearly communicate the reasons behind business decisions to employees and, where possible, engage them in those conversations.”

There have been positives and negatives that have developed from remote work environments in the last couple of years. In some cases, it has improved productivity, particularly in individual settings, and enabled employees to better manage the demands of life and family.

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Where it has hindered productivity is whenever collaboration comes into play. While people are available digitally, there are additional steps involved in reaching people and there has been a loss of connection with co-workers.

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“One of the biggest challenges with a hybrid model is how to make sure you provide the opportunity for people to connect and support your corporate culture,” said Deb Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

“Otherwise, you are basically a mercenary. He is attached to his company, or organization, solely because he receives a paycheck from them. There is no other connection with the company.”

She said this makes it that much harder for companies to keep their employees and develop that loyalty.

Some companies are using community initiatives and charity events to bring their employees together and help build that culture, even if the rest of the time they work remotely.

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Others resist this change, looking at the way they have operated for generations. But Peacock said this is an issue all companies and organizations need to look at.

“We have to stop saying we’re going to go back to normal, there’s no normal,” Peacock said. “In fact, you don’t call it the new normal, it’s an evolution, the pandemic has changed us.”

He said the lived experience of the pandemic will be left with people demanding that the world of work be recognized and examined.

“I think we have forever altered the DNA of work,” he said.

Peacock added that there are three career generations: early career, mid career, and late career. All three have one thing in common, people want meaningful work that allows them to pay their bills.

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Yedlin said the early career stage has a big hurdle as people enter the workforce, especially in remote settings, and become separated from the rest of the workforce as they enter an industry. Mentoring and preparing that generation has to be a priority.

“A lot of us benefit from being around people,” he said. “That is a very critical part of building organizations for the future.”

Peacock said there is still more work to be done on technology for those working remotely. While the world has become all too familiar with Zoom and Teams meetings, there are advances that can and should take place to improve the environment.

He added that there is further examination of other options, such as a four-day workweek or benefit changes to reflect actual need and employee usage.

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John Duda, president of Canadian real estate management services for Colliers, has been tracking this data throughout the pandemic, but this is the first report where companies are beginning to make decisions about their future and how they will operate, albeit cautiously. .

One of the biggest trends they’re seeing is increasing their flex space to accommodate a hybrid workforce. This takes different forms and can be from companies that rent a cubicle to a flat or offices on a temporary basis. This is taken into account more when companies have reduced the amount of permanent office space, but still need to adapt to days when there are more staff.

“They have to sit somewhere, they need a place to work; well, if I have a flex space in the building or right next to it, that makes it a little bit easier,” he said. “They still have a place to go and we can meet at the main office, so the way they work is being adjusted.”

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The survey showed that 13 percent of total office space was made up of flexible space, up from seven percent in the last survey last November.

This increased push towards hybrid work environments will also influence the way urban centers are designed and redesigned. If office towers aren’t going to be full five days a week when the economy is thriving, cities need to figure out how to keep city centers vibrant and supporting services like restaurants busy.

“Young 20-year-olds who are early in their careers don’t expect to be in an office five days a week,” Yedlin said. “That just ended.”

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Twitter: @JoshAldrich03