Working from home or teleworking or teleworking has increased significantly in popularity since COVID-19 lockdowns kept people away from their workplaces, but this is not a new trend for certain areas of work.
According to the 2016 census for the North Kildonan – St. Paul constituency, around 1,700 out of 42,000 employed people were classified as “working from home”. In Winnipeg, around 15,000 people worked from home out of a workforce of around 362,000. Although the 2020 census results have not yet been released, it doesn’t take an expert to guess how many people have been working from home since the pandemic began.
Is that positive?
Of course, while I would like to point out the significant reductions in emissions from vehicles around the world and the temporary shutdown of polluting factories or facilities, I will focus on how people feel.
The research company Global Workplace Analytics – www. globalworkplaceanalytics.com – has a long list of the pros and cons of teleworking on its website.
First, they found that “people are fed up with the rat race” and want a better work-life balance with more control over their lives. Teleworking was seen by 80 percent of workers as a perk, which also allows for more flexible working arrangements while improving the workers’ family life. In addition, over half of employers identified cost savings as a benefit of teleworking.
Reduced commuting times, fewer traffic jams and fewer traffic accidents were also identified as key benefits. With fewer people getting to their offices on time to do work that could be done at home, costly accidents and traffic jams can be less of a stress for anyone trying to get around the city.
Did I mention reduced emissions that lead to a reduction in our carbon footprint and fewer environmental pollutants?
However, teleworking also has its downsides. Global Workplace Analytics notes that some managers believe that distance is a barrier to collaboration. There are those who communicate better face-to-face in the office, especially when conflicts or misunderstandings can arise.
Perhaps an increase in teleworking can open the door to more inclusive workplaces with more opportunities for people with vulnerabilities or disabilities.
What do you think of working from home or teleworking as employment opportunities?
Jeff Yaremko is the community correspondent for North Kildonan. Send him an email at [email protected]
Working from home or teleworking or teleworking has increased significantly in popularity since COVID-19 lockdowns kept people away from their workplaces, but this is not a new trend for certain areas of work.
According to the 2016 census for North Kildonan-St. Paul Electoral District, around 1,700 people out of 42,000 workers were classified as “home-based” workers. In Winnipeg, around 15,000 people worked from home out of a workforce of around 362,000. Although the 2020 census results have not yet been released, it doesn’t take an expert to guess how many people have been working from home since the pandemic began.
Is that positive?
Of course, while I would like to point out the significant reductions in emissions from vehicles around the world and the temporary shutdown of polluting factories or facilities, I will focus on how people feel.
The research company Global Workplace Analytics – www. globalworkplaceanalytics.com – has a long list of the pros and cons of teleworking on its website.
First, they found that “people are fed up with the rat race” and want a better work-life balance with more control over their lives. Teleworking was seen by 80 percent of workers as a perk, which also allows for more flexible working arrangements while improving the workers’ family life. In addition, over half of employers identified cost savings as a benefit of teleworking.
Reduced commuting times, fewer traffic jams and fewer traffic accidents were also identified as key benefits. With fewer people getting to their offices on time to do work that could be done at home, costly accidents and traffic jams can be less of a stress for anyone trying to get around the city.
Did I mention reduced emissions that lead to a reduction in our carbon footprint and fewer environmental pollutants?
However, teleworking also has its downsides. Global Workplace Analytics notes that some managers believe that distance is a barrier to collaboration. There are those who communicate better face-to-face in the office, especially when conflicts or misunderstandings can arise.
Perhaps an increase in teleworking can open the door to more inclusive workplaces with more opportunities for people with vulnerabilities or disabilities.
What do you think of working from home or teleworking as employment opportunities?
Jeff Yaremko is the community correspondent for North Kildonan. Send him an email at [email protected]
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