How to maximise the benefits of hybrid work

The way we approach work may never be the same even after restrictions and mask mandates are thrown out. Canadian workplaces have been shaken up, with former on-site work transitioning to remote, and then eventually hybrid as the pandemic shows signs of decline. However, moving to hybrid work may also bring about a string of new challenges for HR across Canada, especially on creating an inclusive workplace that promotes equity, well-being, and flexibility.

It adds to the existing issues of attracting and retaining talent, addressing burnout, and supporting women and people who are facing barriers in the workforce.

Stephen Harrington, partner, Deloitte Canada, added: "Canada must move quickly to develop responsive and flexible policies to ensure hybrid work acts as an engine of equitable prosperity," with collaboration among the government, businesses, employers, and employees being the key to that.

Read more: Deloitte: top HR challenge revealed

Deloitte, in its latest report, offered the following recommendations that can be executed to maximise the benefits of hybrid work and minimise its harms:

• Modernising childcare and eldercare options by making them more flexible to bolster women's participation in the labour market.
  • Childcare needs to be more flexible to account for more people working in hybrid structures. Removing labour market barriers could empower 90,000 more women to enter the workforce over the next decade.
• Improving funding for digital up-skilling programmes by removing up-front financial barriers to enable more Canadians, particularly from lower-income households, to participate in upskilling and reskilling programmes that often require payment upfront.
  • The increasing demand for digital skills with hybrid work could result in a more polarised workforce where some people do not have the necessary skills to participate.
• Reducing barriers to cross-jurisdictional hybrid work by providing guidance to employers on the application of existing income tax and data privacy requirements in a hybrid environment. This will enable more even economic growth and greater prosperity for communities across Canada that haven't traditionally benefited from place-based work.
  • Deloitte's research shows that many employers paused their plans to allow remote or hybrid work until they better understand the tax implications, particularly for corporate income and payroll obligations.

"There is no going back to strictly a place-based way of working: we need to find solutions that seek to improve rather than exacerbate systemic inequalities. If we harness the opportunities presented by hybrid work models, we have the chance to put Canada on a prosperous path as an economy and as a society," said Harrington.