Read: Scotiabank corporate employees returning to office four days per week

While 65 per cent of respondents who have worked remotely said they hadn’t been asked to return to the office or increase their onsite days, 72 per cent of those who were asked said they complied. A quarter (23 per cent) said they returned but didn’t meet the minimum required days, while five per cent said they quit.

Among those still working from home, only 28 per cent said they’d return to the office without hesitation if asked. A third (32 per cent) said they’d consider other job opportunities, while a quarter (24 per cent) said they’d likely quit.

Avoiding the commute (78 per cent) and improved mental health (49 per cent) were respondents’ most commonly cited benefits of working from home, followed by better housing flexibility (43 per cent), more time with family and friends (42 per cent) and increased productivity (38 per cent). Among parents with young children, 27 per cent pointed to reduced childcare costs.

Social isolation and lack of separation between personal and professional life (46 per cent each) were cited by respondents as the top drawbacks, while 40 per cent said there were more distractions at home. Among workers aged 18 to 24, 56 per cent said isolation was a concern.

Read: TD requiring office-based employees to work onsite four days per week

Of those with remote work experience, 30 per cent said they felt disconnected or lonely, 23 per cent reported disconnection from colleagues and 21 per cent said they struggled to separate work from personal life. Still, 57 per cent of employees said they believe their remote productivity is equal to or higher than onsite work, a figure that rose to 73 per cent among those with remote experience.

Currently, 29 per cent of Canadian workers said they work remotely at least part of the week, while 23 per cent said they’d done so in the past. Among current remote workers, 42 per cent said they’re fully remote and 30 per cent said they spend most of the week at home. Around three in 10 (28 per cent) respondents said they either split time equally or spend more days in office.

Among hybrid workers, 35 per cent said their employer requires them to be onsite more than half the week, 38 per cent are required to work one or two days in office and 28 per cent said there’s no formal policy. Compliance with those expectations varied. While 58 per cent said they always meet the minimum, 28 per cent said they mostly do, seven per cent said they comply occasionally and another seven per cent said they rarely do.

Among workers who were asked to return to the office, half (51 per cent) said they were upset by the change, while 32 per cent said it made no difference. Just 17 per cent reacted positively.

Read: How employees, employers are approaching remote working amid renewed return-to-office push