COVID-19 changed office work. Here’s what the “next normal” looks like as people return. CBC.Blog#2

 This CBC article was published in September 2022. It is posted by Geoff Nixon, and he uses a lot of credible sources to discuss how Covid-19 has changed office work and how more people are being encouraged to physically return to work, but it doesn't appear the work world will revert to its pre-pandemic state.

Colliers Canada manages more than sixty million square feet of commercial real estate across the country - with office space accounting for more than half of that footprint. Amy Vuong, VP of strategy of real estate management services for Colliers Canada says there was a slight increase in employee's coming back to the office. Mostly from companies rolling out their ( return to office) policies on a voluntary basis, but she is hearing that companies are potentially looking at removing that voluntary option. Royal Bank is another notable large employer in Canada that is pushing to bring more people back on-site. RBC has more than 60,000 employees based in Canada. CEO and President Dave McKay is making the case that people thrive from working together. Now it doesn't talk about this to much in the article, but there is a link to another article about Anxieties about microaggressions rise as in-person work returns and that is defiantly a factor for a rise in some people may not wanting to go back into the office. 

Greg Phillips, President of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees told CBC that the government has not made a clear enough case on why more time in the office is needed. Also, they haven’t indicated there's a problem with the work that public servants is doing from home. This I find to be interesting as it does seem that most people are able to continue to do their jobs from home without effecting company missions or goals. This would have to be nonphysical jobs or "essential" jobs, but I still find interesting. 

They also look to Stanford University's Bloom who has been part of a large effort to examines people's experiences working from home, and from more than 20,000 participants around the globe, fifteen percent would quit their jobs if they were forced to be back at work five days a week. An even high-proportion of Canadians-nearly 22 percent feeling that way!

I find this interesting as you can see how the world is adapting to the work from home norm. It is nice to be able to not have to commute to work and possibly to laundry while working. I do have to agree with the CEO of RBC and say people do thrive by working together, and I also do think it is good to get actual human interaction and not necessarily stuck at your home.. 

Source:

Nixon, G. (2022, September 6). COVID-19 changed office work. Here’s what the “next normal” looks like as people return. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-return-office-wfh-fall-pandemic-1.6570575

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