Will hybrid work make a breakthrough when the epidemiological curve of COVID-19 flattens, like the craze for teleworking during the pandemic?
When it’s time to get back to the office, a third of workers may have to show up two or three days a week, according to a cross-Canada survey conducted by ADP and Maru Public Opinion from August 6 to 10, 2021. Almost a quarter (21%) could however plan their schedule as they see fit, being granted complete freedom, again according to this survey.
While hybrid work represents a balance between in-person and remote work, it also generates many preconceived notions. Let’s debunk some myths.
I can work where I want and when I want. FALSE, BUT MAYBE TRUE
If your employer allows you to split your time between work and home, they should decide when you are required to be on their premises and when you can work on your files wherever you want. Depending on the company’s activities, they may also let you choose when you go to the office.
The same goes for your work schedule: they may ask you to be on the job during normal business hours, as outlined in your employment contract, or they may decide to offer you some flexibility.
If your boss can supervise your work in this way, it is because he has a “management right” so that he can conduct his company to “ensure the smooth running of his business”, explains the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail.
Check to see if the company you work for has a hybrid work policy, which specifies how it works.
My employer cannot force hybrid work on me. TRUE
If you had the habit, according to your employment contract, of going to the office five days a week before the COVID-19 pandemic and you want to resume this routine after the health crisis, your employer cannot require that you continue teleworking.
“Although the employment contract provides the employer with latitude in the choice of the workplace, the unilateral imposition of telework could pose a problem, in particular with regard to the infringement of the guaranteed right to privacy by the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms ”, as indicated in the Guide for the supervision of teleworking for the employer and the employee of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés.
It should be noted that teleworking was imposed exceptionally during the pandemic for health reasons. A company could decide to maintain it in whole or in part if it is not able to accommodate its staff safely on its premises.
My employer must provide me with work tools for home and office. FALSE
Unless you earn minimum wage, your employer has no obligation to provide you with tools for working at home or even to reimburse you for purchasing them, according to the Éducaloi organization. However, your manager has an interest in providing you with what is necessary so that you can accomplish your tasks efficiently, adds the organization.
If I can work from home and at the office, I have to make sure that I always respond to my employer’s requests promptly. FALSE
Even if the right to disconnect is not yet recognized in Canada, you do not have to respond immediately to all communications from your manager. “The employer cannot demand that [its staff] be available and reachable at all times,” says Dunton Rainville, lawyers and notaries.