Features Working Remotely
Hybrid workers happy with mix of office, home days – and see value in connecting in person: Survey

Most hybrid workers are required to come into the office between one to three days each week, and the vast majority (81 per cent) are highly satisfied with their current arrangement of home and in-office days, according to new research conducted by the Angus Reid Group on behalf of Staples Canada.

It also underscored the obvious benefits of connection and culture of being in the workplace: The top benefits of in-office days among employees including building quality relationships (65 per cent); better communicating with colleagues (53 per cent); and feeling connected to your company (48 per cent).

“With everything that we’ve learned and continue to learn about hybrid work and its impact on employee happiness and productivity, it’s important for workplaces to find the right balance, and support their employees with the right solutions,” said David Boone, CEO, Staples Canada.

Another big benefit of coming in to work is better equipment and tools to do their jobs, the survey found. Hybrid workers who come into the office most often are also most likely to say better access to equipment is a main benefit to coming in (37 per cent). Among all hybrid workers, roughly one-third (30 per cent) say better access to equipment is one of the main benefits to coming into the office.

The majority of those surveyed (56 per cent) say they’re happier on the days when they work from home. Employees report being happier more of the time in the office if they are a newer employee with the company (51 per cent), experiencing low/no burnout (47 per cent) and are able to choose how many or which days they come into the office (50 per cent).

In contrast to the rest of Canada, if you’re a Quebecer, you’re happier more of the time in the office (58 per cent) versus working from home.

The online study was conducted by Angus Reid Group among a representative sample of 1,006 hybrid working employees and 311 employers who have hybrid workers on their payroll. It was conducted Aug. 4-15, 2023, in English and French.  For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points for employees and +/- 4.8 percentage points for employers, 19 times out of 20.