This Ontario CEO told her employees they can work from anywhere. Here's how the policy works - Interview in CTV News

This article was originally published in CTV News.

Co-founder and CEO of Toronto estate management agency Willful, Erin Bury has announced that Willful has given their employees a ‘Work from Anywhere’ policy.

By summer 2021, vaccines were rolling out to the general public and there appeared to be a break between COVID-19 waves, so Bury once again opened her office up to employees by choice – but no one came, she says.

By that time, many employees had moved farther away from the office, or had adjusted to the routine of working from home. Bury says this realization, paired with employee feedback, prompted her and her husband to get rid of the space, take their company of just about 20 employees permanently remote, and implement a ‘Work from Anywhere’ policy.

The policy states employees can work from anywhere, and, as long as they are available from the 'core hours' of 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST, they can put whatever additional hours in they like.

Janet Candido, founder and CEO of Toronto-based human resources consultancy group Candido Consulting, says many companies are opting for a hybrid model right now, where employees work from home some days, and attend in-person others.

“Some people have developed a comfort level working from home, some are afraid of getting sick,” Candido told CTV News Toronto Wednesday. “Some have school-aged children, who can't go in one day because they have the sniffles… or immunocompromised people at home.”

“People are dealing with all sorts of different challenges. It's not that cut and dry.”

But no matter what policy companies choose, Candido says the successful companies tend to be the ones that provide more flexibility and listen to employee feedback.

“I always recommend when companies want to bring employees back to the office to consider the emotional and mental health of the employees."

'I'm not coming back!' How to recall reluctant employees – Interview in HRD

This article was originally published by HRD Canada.

In the Great Resignation, should leaders take risks with harsh return policies?

Thinking of recalling your employees to the office? Be warned – there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach here. That’s according to leading HR consultant Janet Candido. Speaking to HRD, she revealed that HR leaders really need to tread carefully when looking at their remits.

“Everyone’s circumstances are different, and we can’t put them all in the same box,” she explained. “Some have children who may need to stay home from school if they exhibit symptoms; some are around elderly or immunocompromised family members at home.

“Employers, ask yourself – do you really need everyone to work out of the office? If the answer is ‘yes’, do you need them to be in every day? Think about the specific times you need people to be in the office – for instance, for project meetings, staff meetings or brainstorming sessions. Once you determine that, if feasible, perhaps say you need employees to be in the office at these times but are willing to remain flexible the rest of the time when a project meeting, for example, isn’t happening.”

This tug of war between employers insistent on an in-office return and their people who swear they can work just as well (or better) at home has been raging since lockdowns lifted. And HR is stuck firmly, and awkwardly, in the middle. For some, the middle ground of hybrid work has brought some relief – but it’s still not smooth sailing.

“I recommend that employers think beyond what is strictly legal and consider the emotional impact the past two years have had on employees,” added Candido. “While some are eager to return to the office full time, there are others who want a hybrid model or some don’t even want to come in at all. And they all have different reasons – comfort, fear, exhaustion. That’s why it’s a good idea to consider a period of transition that allows employees to ease into working in the office and make it a defined period of time.”

For example, employers may claim they’re are working towards having everyone back in the office as of January 1st. With that in mind, implement a flexible schedule – start with two days, then gradually move to three days, then to four.

There’s also the legalities of office recalls that HR needs to consider with care. Setting aside whether or not it’s a good idea to ‘alienate’ your people by stipulating in-office models, are you actually allowed to demand a full return to work?

“The employer has the right to determine where work will be performed,” stated Stuart Rudner, founder of Rudner Law, told HRD. "The only way that will change is if there's something in the contract (written, verbal or based on past practice) that says, for example, that the employee has the right to work from home - or has the right to choose where they work. Otherwise, even if they’ve worked from home temporarily due to the pandemic, it's still at the employer’s discretion to require a return to the workplace."

But even in the best of circumstances, you’re bound to encounter a couple of employees that are adamant in their fears of the office recall. And when these refusals centre around health concerns, HR needs to sit up and listen. 

“Ask the employee what will make them more comfortable – can you work with that?” explained Candido. “Resist the temptation to become entrenched in your position. When that happens, you are less likely to come to a mutual understanding and may breed resentment. It’s also important to continue the dialogue so employees feel like their concerns are being heard. Lastly, provide access to mental health resources that will help employees overcome their concerns.”

The future of work: The workplace trends that are here to stay

This article was originally written for and published in CEOWorld Magazine.

As we’re approaching better times ahead, employers are planning for the future of work. There are a lot of questions and conversations surrounding workplace trends and how organizations plan to move forward.

Prior to the pandemic, there may have been employers who were reluctant to initiate a work-from-home culture/policy for several reasons. One of them being that it was difficult to fully trust that employees were capable of being productive with all the distractions at home – i.e. kids, pets, electronics, etc. At the office, managers are able to physically see their staff in the office, at their desks, doing their job, reassuring them that they were getting the job done. There was also the notion that in-person meetings and collaboration were invaluable and could not be done remotely.

However, once the initial stay-at-home order hit back in March 2020, employers were forced to quickly adapt to a whole new way of working while equipping their teams with a home office setup. The result – employees continued to be just as, if not more, productive from the comfort of their own home. The pandemic completely changed the notion of the office and changed the mindsets of both employers and employees.

Workplace trends:

Work-life balance

The pandemic has created a shift where a flexible work-life balance has now become the norm, making it imperative for a company to prioritize and integrate it into the company’s culture as we transition through the return-to-workplace period.

During the pandemic, employees started to observe the things they value most, in not just a workplace, but also in the quality of life that was available to them at their current company. Over the past two years, we’ve seen a mass number of employees switching careers/jobs and this is a big indicator of this. With more employees re-evaluating their current job and looking for alternative opportunities that suit their work-life balance needs, HR professionals are finding it a particularly difficult time recruiting and retaining top quality talent.

Now more than ever, employees are more focused on working for an organization that matches their values so employers will have to work harder to engage their employees and attract new talent. With this in mind, one of the workplace trends we can expect to see is companies being more creative in their offerings to employees, such as the opportunity to work somewhere abroad for a period of time where the employer could potentially subsidize the cost. In addition, 4-day workweeks look to be another offering that may become available to employees in the future. Companies like Bolt, Buffer and G2i are trialing or already started offering a four-day workweek to their employees, which has shown positive results in employee productivity and retention, as finding work-life balance becomes increasingly important over time.

Workplace flexibility 

In order to retain employees during a return-to-workplace transition, employers will need to create a plan that takes into account both the needs of the business and those of the employees, allowing for accommodation – within reason. A 2021 report from Accenture revealed that 61 per cent of Canadians prefer a hybrid or remote work model, so if the business is able to work within these structures, this would be a reasonable accommodation to ensure talent retention.

For the future of work, one of the trends that employers should take note of is “flexibility”, in all its forms. For instance, the one-size-fits-all approach will no longer work as employees have proven their capabilities without being at the office from 9 to 5 and under constant surveillance. However, while there are a number of employees who prefer working from home, there are also those who look forward to returning to the office where they can have a separate space from their personal life. That’s why, as organizations begin to navigate the office return, employers should remain flexible in various approaches to ensure their employees are satisfied with the decision and company policy. Employers should have the ability to offer employees a choice of onsite, hybrid or fully remote while maintaining the work of the business. If employees choose a hybrid work style, employers will need to determine how to schedule the hybrid option and if they need to reconfigure the office layout. Providing these options to employees will allow them to choose a work style that will allow them to do their job to the best of their ability and keep them engaged.

Personalized benefits/perks

Fairness and flexibility in the workplace will create a positive corporate culture, while also preventing employee burnout – just another reason why many Canadians are uprooting their careers in favor of jobs where these “perks” are present. As a result, another key workplace trend will include an increase of personalized benefits/perks – meaning not simply the flex plans of the past 20 years, but more likely something that will allow employees to design their own plan. During the stay-at-home orders, mental health conversations have grown and become more normalized. Now, mental health has become top of mind after employees, managers, CEOs, etc. experienced a traumatic, isolated and unpredictable event together. According to combined data from Statistics Canada’s labor force survey and Canadian income survey, for the Canadians who were employed during the first four months of 2021, more than one in five (21.5 per cent) had a physical, mental health, cognitive or other disability – when compared to 2019, there was an increase of 2.7 percentage points (18.8 per cent), continuing a long-term upward trend associated with population aging and other factors. Creating awareness surrounding wellness and mental health will be a significant workplace trend that we’ll see more of across various organizations.

Individualized leadership models 

The pandemic took a toll on people’s mental health, causing increased stress and anxiety. As a result of the past two years, employees are looking for a different style of leader than prior to the pandemic. For instance, the World Economic Forum states that employees want to be seen as a whole individual, acknowledging their lives outside of work. This means having a leader who is more compassionate, empathetic and authentic, and willing to listen, learn and adapt. During the countless Zoom and Team calls, we’ve seen into people’s homes more intimately than ever before – we’ve seen their in-home office setup, children trying to learn remotely, pets in the background, etc. – and have seen the everyday stresses both employees and employers endured because of this traumatic event. Going forward, a trend we can expect to see evolving in the workplace is having leaders navigate through a newer leadership technique where they’ll be more mindful and understanding of the impact on their employees. This means providing a more individualized model of leadership, adapting to offer employees what they need.

Advantages and tips to implementing a hybrid work model

According to a new study from Microsoft, the wave of remote work caused by the pandemic is leading to a bigger – and more permanent – disruption to the workplace: hybrid working. This means that some employees may work from home while others go to the office, or a mix of both.

However, business leaders may be ill prepared to deal with this, from employees with a lack of home office supplies to unreliable internet connections. And, while productivity of working from home is high, so is employee exhaustion – with many feeling overworked and lacking a work-life balance. A number of employees are reportedly considering leaving their employer sometime this year -- a feat made easier with the abundance of remote working possibilities. This is supported by another study, by Robert Half, which found that one in three employees would consider quitting if they are required to return to the office full time. 

But in order for a hybrid workforce to work well, the normal structure of the workplace needs to be updated. As offices in Canada prepare to reopen now that vaccinations are underway, what do employers and employees need to consider as they shift to the new workplace model? 

Be Flexible: There is no single policy or plan that would likely fit all the circumstances of the hybrid work model, so ensuring a flexible work environment will promote productivity and help maintain a work-life balance. For example, some people may be strictly in-office, others strictly at home, and some a mix of both. Some may also put in time before or after typical 9-5 hours, so acknowledging that but still keeping emails and texts to within typical office hours will help prevent burnout. The time to experiment with a range of solutions is now. 

Create New Norms: When part of the team isn’t in the office, it’s important to create new norms that are beneficial to both onsite and offsite teams. For example, in an office setting, if there’s a team meeting, everyone gathers in a conference room and bounces ideas off of each other or updates colleagues on their part of a group project. As a new norm, group meetings that include off-site employees should be conducted as if everyone is working from home, where onsite employees connect from their desks. This allows offsite employees to better hear and see their in-office colleagues and can help those working remotely to feel more comfortable participating.

Maintain Social Connections: Studies throughout the pandemic have shown that those who are able to maintain connections to their colleagues are more productive now than ever before. Encouraging colleagues to keep in touch, even about matters not related to work, is important. Setting aside time before or after meetings for colleagues to catch-up, setting up casual group chats via text or organizing regular video lunches are all ways that employees can maintain contact with one another.

Once a hybrid workforce has been established, there are a variety of benefits that everyone can take advantage of: 

• Freedom and flexibility of where and when to work. And with that autonomy, employees have an increased satisfaction of the job

• With less employees in the office, costs of overhead are reduced as employers find themselves needing to rent less office space to accommodate the in-office workers

• Since those who work best in the office can be in an office, and those who work most effectively at home can work from home, there’s increased productivity 

• A better work-life balance as a result of the hybrid model also encourages increased productivity, as it promotes mental wellbeing, prevents burnout and minimizes stress

COVID-19 has provided a stage for change to how the world works, and by implementing a hybrid work model now, you’re setting your business – and employees – up for success in the future.