Marc LeCuyer
General Manager, Canada, ServiceNow
When COVID-19 forced Canadians to start working from home, many thought it was a short-term solution. However, a recent survey reveals that most Canadians have new expectations about the future of work, and those expectations are all about choice and flexibility.
Many Canadians don’t want to work from home permanently, but they don’t want to return to the office full-time either. The Work from Home Productivity Study by ServiceNow, a leader in workplace digital transformation, found that 89 percent of Canadian office workers want to continue working from home after the pandemic is over, for nearly two thirds of the time — about 14 business days per month.
But whether it’s technology barriers or caring for others, staying productive while working from home isn’t always easy. Remote work creates a greater need for support from employers, yet nearly half of Canadians say their employer has a lot to learn when it comes to setting staff up to work remotely. The good news is that employers have an opportunity to meet some of these challenges directly, to keep productivity — and spirits — high.
“Initiatives like reimbursement programs for office supplies are key to helping staff succeed remotely,” says Marc LeCuyer, General Manager of ServiceNow. “But productivity is about more than just checking items off the to-do list. Employers need to find ways to keep their company culture alive too if they want their teams to feel motivated.”
Digital experiences matter to Canadians
While technology is critical to enabling work and connecting employees to their colleagues, more than a third of Canadian employees say their biggest barrier to productivity is tech issues. A quarter feel they would be more productive with access to software that enables communication, collaboration, workflow management, HR technology, and remote onboarding.
Offering the right technology — plus benefits like flexible hours — can go a long way towards making employees comfortable, according to LeCuyer.
“While employers may be intimidated by the upfront cost and myriad options available when it comes to tech solutions, they need to engage their HR and IT departments to solve these gaps in the employee experience,” says LeCuyer. “It’s a business challenge that employers in every industry need to consider right now.”
As companies manage the return to work, they’ll need the right tools to support health and safety, and to make ongoing remote work successful. ServiceNow can support your organization as you master work-from-home effectiveness and facilitate a safe return to the workplace — whenever and however that happens.
