Working from home is a nightmare for some Quebecers, a blessing for others

When Véronique Piercey sits down to her remote job as senior paralegal at a Montreal hospitality firm, the first thing she does is put on ambient office noise from a mindfulness app to help her focus.

"I deeply, deeply miss going into the office," said Piercey. "I love people and I love being around people," even though she hasn't yet met any of her team members in person.

When it comes to choosing which they prefer — working from home or heading into a workplace — Quebecers are divided. Some enjoy not having to commute, while others miss the impromptu water-cooler conversations at the office.

Either way, remote work will be here to stay in some form after the pandemic, says Ariane Ollier-Malaterre, a professor of organization and human resources at the Université du Québec à Montréal. She suggests two or three days a week of remote work is optimal for productivity.

But whether employees actually enjoy remote work is another story. Statistics on whether Canadians prefer working from home are inconclusive.

In mid-December, when the provincial government recommended that Quebecers return to working from home amid rising COVID-19 case counts, many wondered whether a full return to work would ever be possible.

How you feel about remote work depends on a range of factors: whether you are new or a seasoned veteran, whether you are an employee or a manager — and what responsibilities you have at home.

Remote work tends to be especially difficult for new employees like Piercey.

It's hard to develop a sense of belonging when you haven't met your colleagues in person, says Charles-Étienne Lavoie, PhD candidate in work and organizational psychology at UQAM.

"They're going to have a little bit of a harder time building an emotional commitment and sense of belonging with the organization," Lavoie said.

Starting a new job remotely means that an employee can feel disconnected from the company and their co-workers, says Sabrina Pellerin, PhD candidate in human resource management at UQAM.

"It can be trickier for the employees to figure out how to work effectively," Pellerin said.

Managers may feel pulled in a lot of different directions. They need to help employees adapt to remote work, provide them with the necessary resources, motivate them from a distance, and monitor their mental health — all the while preserving their own, said Pellerin.

"We think that managers, because they hold positions of authority, are in control all the time," she said. "But they're human. Organizations tend to forget that."