Montreal research looks at workers' sense of control, relationship with family, colleagues
Allowing workers to work from home brings both positives and negatives to employers, according to a recent report.
On one hand, giving workers this kind of freedom can make them stay, finds the study conducted by the Université de Montréal.
That’s because they have more time to meet their individual needs, and it shows good will and benevolence on the side of the employer.
“Our analyses really confirm that flexibility increases employees’ sense of control,” said Prof. Victor Haines, of U de M’s School of Industrial Relations, one of the authors of the report, in a Montreal Gazette report.
“And the greater the sense of control, the lower the intentions to leave.”
Allowing workers to work at home three days per week reduces quit rates, according to a previous report from Stanford University.
What are the negative effects of remote work?
However, remote work also accentuates workers’ feelings of isolation, and this could lead to them leaving, according to U de M’s report based on a survey of 1,500 employees in Quebec.
While telework does not necessarily decrease the feeling of support from colleagues, it does not improve that feeling either, according to the report.
Also, it could lead to problems with workers’ families.
“We don’t find very strong confirmation (in the study) that flexibility facilitates work-family balance,” Haines said, according to the Montreal Gazette. “When I work at home, I have to deal with the family context, etc. So telework is associated with more work-family conflict in our results.”
For employers, offering flexible hours instead of remote work options may be the smarter choice, said Haines.
From the employer’s point of view, “it’s certain that telework involves more risks than flexible hours,” he said.
“Both measures target flexibility, but we understand that on a qualitative level, it is very different to offer a variable schedule, a flexible schedule, versus telework.”
Nearly three in four chief executive officers said ordering a full-time office return is not a top business priority amid gains from implementing hybrid work, according to a previous report.