The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people across BC and the rest of Canada will work forever.
People realized a lot about ‘grind culture’ and what can and cannot be done from a home-based workspace with the internet’s connectivity.
Apps and software such as Slack, Microsoft Teams and Zoom made it easy to do many office or desk-based jobs from home.
Some companies have opted to eliminate their brick-and-mortar office spaces altogether due to increasing commercial rents. As a result, all their employees are now required to work from home, regardless of their preferences.
Research Co., a BC-based research and statistics firm, conducted a survey recently on if people were willing to go back to their jobs in-person, quit a job over remote work capability and how often most people want to be able to work from home.
Nearly 500 participants of all demographics from across the province took part in the survey.
It was found that young adults are predominantly the ones who don’t want to go into an office every day. They prefer the ability to work partially from home and partially from their office space.
“Few British Columbians aged 35-to-54 and aged 55 and over have quit after a disagreement over work-from-home regulations — 9% and 2% respectively,” said Mario Canseco, President of Research Co.
“In stark contrast, 39% of pandemic home workers aged 18-to-34 have switched jobs at least once since 2020 to be able to work from home more often.”
It seems many office spaces and companies have made work-from-home options available to their workers, but almost a quarter of British Columbians are unhappy with how often they have to ‘go in’ to work.
The survey found that around 27% of Vancouver Islanders work from home five days a week in post-pandemic British Columbia. Only 9% work-from-home three or four days a week, 39% do one or two days at home and just 24% of Vancouver Islanders don’t have any work-from-home opportunities.
These statistics are all no doubt much higher than what they would have been in a pre-pandemic BC.
Are you happy with your work-from-home and office space balance? Let us know in the comments!
