As companies announce return to in-person activities, online users are questioning whether Canadian offices can accommodate employees and post-pandemic work dynamics, and one HR expert says they have much to rethink.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last month, Scotiabank sent out a memo to employees announcing a mandatory return to office (RTO), with workers expected to work at least four times a week on-site, starting September.<\/p>\n
Other Canadian companies followed suit, including the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) resulting in\u00a0a North America-wide RTO movement, with experts predicting even more corporations to resume in-person work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRBC is a relationship-driven bank, and in-person, human connection is core to our winning culture. As one of the world\u2019s most trusted financial institutions, we have important commitments to our clients and bold goals for the future. We are confident that prioritizing working together in-person is a vital component in setting us up for continued, long-term success,\u201d an RBC spokesperson told Now Toronto on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
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But amid the shift to in-person work, many people online are questioning whether these companies are really prepared to accommodate in-person work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a recent job\u2026I either took calls at my desk and got dirty looks from coworkers in [the] office, or took it in the kitchen area, where I got complaints from my coworkers on the line about background noise. I like in person work\u2026But sending people [to the] office to make Zoom calls is going to chase away anyone who gives a sh**, it\u2019s deeply unserious behaviour,\u201d one Reddit user wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Toronto office hasn\u2019t been asked to RTO precisely because of this issue. There was barely enough space in our office before Covid and there certainly isn\u2019t now,\u201d another user said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a contract at one of these return to work places. No one had assigned positions\u2026 The amount of productivity lost trying to find a spot or getting a new spot after I went to the bathroom\u2026 Return to office is such a joke,\u201d a different user chimed in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, some people are questioning the purpose of returning to in-person activities, especially for jobs that are mostly done online.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOther than micro-management and toxic management, there isn\u2019t a goddamn good reason for bringing people who CAN work from home back to the office,\u201d one Redditor said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy current company wants us in the office 3 days a week so we can collaborate with coworkers. They converted all of the meeting rooms to offices so we just go in, sit at our desks and have Teams meetings. I love spending time in traffic and money on gas so I can do the same thing I can do at my desk at home,\u201d another user added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think there\u2019s something to be said for being in an office environment rather than at home every day, but at the same time if I come into the office and I\u2019m just sitting on Zoom calls all day I would be pissed. That\u2019s poor management,\u201d a different person said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
MODERN WORK DYNAMICS<\/p>\n