spark*insights

Most Canadians think flexible work arrangements are good both for productivity, and for employees

New spark*insights research finds two-thirds of Canadians believe work from home helps organizational productivity.

Sept 30, 2024
Bruce Anderson

spark*insights conducted a national survey on behalf of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, among 1,635 adult Canadians, online, between the dates August 23rd-27th, 2024. The highlights of the findings are below.

  • Among those Canadians who are employed, most (66%) work in organizations that take a flexible approach to remote work (38%) or encourage as much work done remotely as possible (28%). This is especially true among those under 30, 78% of which work in flexible or remote first organizations.
 
 
  • The large majority of Canadians believe that remote work is good for employees (81%) and a two-thirds (66%) majority say it is also good for organizational productivity.
 
 
  • Most people believe that when employees are working remotely, they are more creative, passionate, happier and more enthusiastic about their work. Two thirds think employees working remotely are more efficient, better able to concentrate, and have more energy and focus.
 
 
  • Given a choice about what would be the best approach for companies to take in the future, the majority (63%) says that keeping things flexible so that managers and workers can make the best choices for each workplace. Another 22% believe the best solution is doing as much work as possible remotely. Only 15% believe that the best idea is to have as much work as possible done on site.
  • Differences by political leaning are modest on most of these questions. Conservative voters are somewhat less sure of the positive impact on productivity, but a majority of Conservative voters believe that remote work is good for employees (75%) and good for productivity (59%). And 80% of Conservative voters say the best approach for the future is either flexibility for each workplace or as much work done remotely as possible.
 
 
  • The most notable differences are by generation. Younger people tend to be more enthusiastic about remote work. However, it remains the case that majorities of all age groups and of different political stripes think remote work and the idea of flexible work arrangements brings more benefits and drawbacks both for the worker and the organization which employs them.

OUR TAKE

According to Bruce Anderson: "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. 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."

About spark*insights

spark*insights is led by Bruce Anderson, one of Canada’s leading and most experienced public opinion researchers, along with Alex Kohut, former Senior Manager of Research & Advertising in the Office of the Prime Minister. From polling and research to analysis and guidance, we help organizations, uncover the factors driving or influencing public perception to gain valuable insights into the shape and movement of the landscape.

Interested in more, or how we can help? Reach out:


Bruce Anderson

bruce@sparkadvocacy.ca

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