Sept. 8, 2023 "Home sick: How hybrid workplaces and employees can navigate flu season": Today I found this article by Sammy Hudes on BNN Bloomberg:
While many workplaces have shifted to hybrid setups coming out of the pandemic, employment experts say workers should be cautious about using that added flexibility to work from home when feeling sick.
It's a situation that some observers of remote work trends predict could become more prevalent as companies increasingly make their hybrid arrangements permanent.
"There is a bit of a return to ... people's comfort level with doing things while not feeling 100 per cent, but that's not everybody by any means," said John Trougakos, a University of Toronto professor of organizational behaviour and human resources management.
With a current uptick in COVID-19 cases in Canada linked to two new variants, along with the usual cold and flu season, employment lawyer Brittany Taylor said it's crucial that both employers and employees take the time now to consider how to handle sick days.
"I'm expecting as we get into the fall these issues are going to be more at the forefront," said Taylor, a partner at Rudner Law.
The growing popularity of hybrid work arrangements has been documented throughout the past year.
As of May, 41 per cent of Canadian workers that were considered remote had hybrid schedules,
splitting time between on-site and at-home, up from one-quarter a year earlier, according to a report released last month by Indeed Canada.
Recruiting company Robert Half found hybrid working arrangements were
favoured by 54 per cent of hiring managers,
compared with 49 per cent of professionals surveyed
— suggesting a growing alignment that could mean a mix of in-office and work-from-home could be here to stay.
Stephen Harrington, national lead for workforce strategy at Deloitte Canada, said while plenty of Canadian organizations have plans for how people can work flexibly, he has not seen many prescribe rules around sick days.
"This is very early days for organizations figuring out exactly how this is going to work for themselves and their workforce," said Harrington.
People who work from home even part of the time are far more likely to consider working while sick than those who work from an office, he said.
But that poses risks both for the worker, who could exacerbate their illness by not getting proper rest, said Harrington.
It's also a risk for the employer, as evidence shows people are not as effective and are more prone to error when working while ill.
"I think there may be organizations that are underestimating
the social
and cultural pressures
when you're working
and there are deadlines
or you feel an obligation,"
said Harrington.
Employees in hybrid work situations should proactively seek clarity from their superiors on what level of accommodation they should expect when it comes to illnesses and the remote aspects of their work, Taylor said, especially when it's inconvenient or unsafe to come into the office.
That means checking whether they're allowed to work from home while sick on a day of the week designated for in-office work, and if so, whether that would mean they have to come in another day instead.
"Is it going to be a one-for-one scenario like that or is it a lot more flexible?" she said.
"Ultimately, unless (an employee's) employment agreement gives them the right to work from home at their discretion, the employer is entitled to set the rules of the workplace, including when remote work is going to be permitted. So understanding those rules as an employee is key,"
Trougakos said businesses would be wise to adopt hybrid work models that are less "rigid" about which days staff are required to come in.
"If it's not a well-thought-out model and it's just put in a cookie cutter kind of way together, saying, 'Well, you have to be there X number of days with no flexibility,' then they'll run into some pushback from employees," he said.
"There will be some issue when people are inevitably going to get the next wave of COVID, flu, whatever other illnesses are going to be popping up."
Sunira Chaudhri, founder and partner at Workly Law, noted that although workplaces have made efforts to offer accommodations in recent years, the balance of power has started to shift back to the employer. That has even played out with some employers using software to monitor their employees' productivity when working remotely.
"I think flexibility comes with costs," Chaudhri said.
"Employers have trended away from being as forgiving or tolerant of greater vacation and sick day policies with remote workers."
Chaudhri said it's important for employers to set clear boundaries on whether they will even allow their staff to work while sick. She urged employees to adhere to those boundaries when they are outlined.
Offering to work from home when sick can blur the lines, said Chaudhri.
"No employee should work while sick.
A sick day should be a sick day and confirming that and being very clear … actually increases morale.
It increases communication and reduces friction and potential liability."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2023.
Oct. 11, 2023 "More Canadian bosses starting to admit work from home is here to stay": Today I found this article by Victoria Wells on the Financial Post:
Many chief executives in Canada would like to see employees back in the office five days a week, but appear to be realizing that those days might be over for good.
Only 55 per cent of Canadian business leaders think staffers will return to the office full time within the next three years, according to the latest CEO Outlook report from KPMG LLP.
That’s a big drop from last year, when 75 per cent of CEOs expected employees to be back at their desks.
Executives globally are more optimistic about a full return, with 64 per cent still expecting one.
Yet, Canadian CEOs remain eager to get people back, and to do so, 77 per cent say they’ll hand out
pay raises,
promotions and plum assignments
to employees who make an effort to show up at their desks more often.
But even that percentage is muted when compared to CEOs around the world, of which 88 per cent say they would offer such incentives to ensure more in-office days.
The research lines up with other studies that have shown Canadians spend more of their workweeks at home than employees in other countries.
On average, Canadian staffers work from home 1.7 days a week,
while workers in the United Kingdom do so 1.5 days
and those in the United States stay home 1.4 days a week,
according to recent research by a German think tank.
A slower return-to-office isn’t the only workplace issue Canadian executives are grappling with these days. Labour shortages, especially among skilled workers, continue to weigh heavily on leaders.
Recession fears had many CEOs signing off on layoffs last year, but now 88 per cent say they’re expecting to hire more people over the next three years.
But finding those staffers is proving to be a challenge, and more than three-quarters of executives say a lack of qualified labour poses a threat to business.
Increased immigration hasn’t been the solution many have hoped for, either.
More than eight in 10 leaders of small and mid-size businesses say they still can’t find the skilled workers they need, the KPMG survey said.
Meanwhile, 72 per cent are focusing their recruiting efforts outside the country in an effort to fill open positions.
Economic factors appear to be working against their efforts, however.
Almost three-quarters of CEOs say the
high cost of living in Canada,
exacerbated by a housing crunch,
is making it harder for them to woo and keep talent, including foreign workers.
Leaders are eyeing the impacts of high interest rates and living costs in their growth outlooks, and 75 per cent believe financial pressures will eat into their company’s prosperity in the coming years.
They’re also watching geopolitical developments with concern, KPMG said. But it’s technology that is proving most worrisome to CEOs, and even causing them to lose sleep, KPMG said.
They fear technological advancements will transform their industry and market before they can adapt.
Still, executives remain largely optimistic about the economy and their companies’ growth prospects, and 80 per cent say they feel good about growing their business over the next three years, while 89 per cent remain confident in the economy.
“CEOs are tackling demanding, evolving and complex challenges,
yet remain resilient and confident in their outlook,” Elio Luongo, chief executive and senior partner at KPMG in Canada, said in a release.
“They are
reassessing their strategic priorities
and redoubling their efforts on talent management
and technology,
while weighing the macroeconomic
and geopolitical impacts
on their organizations and people.”
https://financialpost.com/news/canadian-bosses-admit-work-from-home-stay
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