Flexible work in Canada has evolved significantly over the years. Traditionally 9-to-5 schedules dominated the workplace, but with the development of digital technologies and changing employee expectations, there has been a gradual shift towards more flexible work arrangements. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend, making remote work and flexible schedules much more common. Today, many organizations embrace flexible work as a key part of their operations. In this Blog, we’ll look at some of the types of flexible working patterns used in Canadian organizations, examine where flexible working stands today and what the future holds for flexible working.
Types of Flexible Working in Canada
Canadian organizations have embraced many types of flexible working arrangements including:
– Remote Work (Work from Home and Hybrid Models)
Employees work from home partially or fully. Some companies offer a hybrid model, where employees split time between home and office and the pattern of these days in the office or from home can be specified or flexible depending on the organization’s policies
– Flexible Hours (“Flextime”)
Employees can start and end their workday at different times as long as they complete their required hours. Some companies require “core hours” where everyone must be available, with flexibility outside of that. “Flextime” can apply either when working from home or in a hybrid model.
– Compressed Workweeks
Employees work longer hours per day to take additional days off (e.g., four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days).
– Job Sharing
Two employees share the responsibilities of a full-time role, each working part-time.
– Part-Time & Reduced Hours
Employees work fewer hours per week than a full-time position, often with prorated benefits.
The State of Flexible Working in Canada
The latest available survey data from Statistics Canada showed that in 2022, approximately 30.3% of Canadian employees aged 15 to 69 had the flexibility to choose when they started and ended their workday. Nearly two-thirds (64.7%) of employees indicated that a flexible schedule was an important or essential job factor for them.
Recent surveys indicate strong support for flexible work arrangements among Canadians. A 2024 national survey conducted by Spark Insights found that 66% of employed Canadians are part of organizations that embrace flexible work options. Furthermore, 81% of Canadians believe remote work is beneficial for employees, and 66% believe it improves organizational productivity.
The Rise and Fall of Working From Home
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced many organizations to rapidly adopt remote work. Canadian census data shows that 7.1 % of workers were working primarily from home in May 2016. That surged during the height of the pandemic, reaching 24.3 % in May 2021. Since then the proportion of Canadians working remotely has fallen steadily but remains higher than before the pandemic, as of May 2024, only 18.7% of Canadians worked primarily from home according to a report by Statistics Canada.
Hybrid Work – The New Normal
As Canada’s workforce continues to adapt post-pandemic, the decline in remote work is giving way to hybrid models that balance in-office and remote work as employers and employees embrace the benefits offered to each by this approach.
For employers, it offers a chance to reduce operational costs while improving talent acquisition and recruitment. Employees meanwhile benefit from the improved work-life balance, and cost savings while still being able to attend the office for collaboration and networking.
A global survey conducted by Zoom in 2024 showed 64% of workplaces are now implementing some form of hybrid model. This trend is not just a compromise between remote and in-office work; it represents a new approach that many organizations are proactively adopting to meet their specific needs. 84% of organization leaders cited productivity as the main reason for changing their workplace models towards hybrid while 63% of leaders aim to recruit more talent through these changes.
Recent Developments
Recent months have though seen significant shifts in how major corporations and government agencies are approaching flexible work with companies re-evaluating their flexible and hybrid working policies. Examples include:
- Firms like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs are advocating for a full-time return to the office, emphasizing benefits such as enhanced collaboration and mentorship.
- Amazon is implementing return-to-office policies, with varying degrees of flexibility across regions.
- Citigroup announced it will maintain its hybrid model, allowing most employees to work remotely two days a week. The company views this flexibility as a competitive advantage and is bucking a growing shift among Wall Street rivals towards five days a week in the office.
- Dell Technologies is set to retire its hybrid work policy, requiring employees living within an hour of a company office to return to in-person work five days a week starting in March of 2025 while employees living farther from office locations will retain remote work privileges. Dell has attributed the policy shift to the need for faster business operations in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.
- Federal Public Servants: As of September 2024, federal departments mandated that public servants in Canada return to the office for a minimum of three days per week. However, this mandate has faced significant opposition from federal unions. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) filed a policy grievance and a labour complaint, arguing that the mandate is “anti-worker” and undermines previously negotiated telework agreements. They also encouraged members to file individual grievances in protest
Legal Considerations
While organizations may be calling fully remote workers back to the office, the right to request flexible work arrangements still exists in Canada. It does however vary depending on whether an employee is federally regulated or falls under provincial/territorial employment laws. Federally regulated employees (e.g., banking, telecom, transport) have a legal right to request flexible work under the Canada Labour Code. Workers in retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, tech, and other private-sector jobs fall under provincial or territorial labour laws where protections vary by province. Where the right to request flexible work may not apply in legislation, workers still have the rights under the Canadian Human Rights Act and provincial human rights codes to request flexibility if needed due to disability, caregiving, or religious reasons.
The Future
The workplace in Canada continues to remain dynamic with businesses and government agencies taking varied approaches. While some companies continue to embrace hybrid and remote work, others are pushing for full-time office returns.
Those who may have adopted more flexible working policies purely as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic must now examine how it’s working for their organization and put policies and infrastructure in place to ensure it balances organizational objectives with employee preferences. By creating a clear strategy around flexible working Canadian organizations can not only future-proof their workforce but also create a more agile, productive, and employee-centric work environment that can adapt to evolving business needs.
Sources
Zoom – Navigating the Future of Work Survey
