« Canadians plan on paying down debt with tax refunds | Main | The key to happiness may lie in not looking so hard »

April 26, 2021

Canadians getting the job done by telecommuting

Most employees dread having to take their work home with them.

But that was then and this is now.

Telecommuting provides employees with the freedom to get out of the office and take their work home with them, on the road or even conduct business from a restaurant or a coffee shop.

Currently, 23 per cent of Canadian companies offer telecommuting to their employees, with large businesses more likely to offer it than smaller ones.

But do mobile employees actually get the job done?

Well, according to a new poll by BMO Bank of Montreal, 65 per cent of business owners feel that they do.

In fact, bosses who offer telecommuting admitted it had a positive impact on their employee productivity and 58 per cent said it improved the quality of work they produced.

Two-thirds also indicated that telecommuting gives their company the ability to attract and retain talented employees and it also boosts morale.

More than half of employers who offer telecommuting also reported a reduction in office and overhead expenses.

However, the report also found that while these companies are happy with the results of telecommuting, there are many other Canadian businesses that are reluctant to offer the same to their employees.

The poll discovered that 61 per cent had concerns regarding the possibility of lower morale and 53 per cent believe there may be a loss in productivity.

Steve Murphy, Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking, BMO Bank of Montreal, says, "In an evolving workforce, Canadian businesses are fighting to be flexible, innovative and enticing by offering incentives that will benefit not only the organization, but also their employees.

"These flexible work arrangements help employees achieve greater work-life balance, improve workplace productivity and strengthen employee morale."

Sounds good to me.

By Donna Donaldson, MSN Money

Do you telecommute at your workplace? Do you find you are more productive or would you prefer to work from the office?

TrackBack

Comments

Post a comment

advertisement

Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...