Four-in-five “provisional home workers” (80%) say that working from home has been easier than they originally thought.
Vancouver, BC [December 11, 2020] – A vast majority of Canadians who are currently working from home instead of at their regular workplace say they would like to continue to explore this possibility after the COVID-19 pandemic has disappeared, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 80% of Canadian “provisional home workers” say they hope to be able to work from home more often after the COVID-19 outbreak has passed, up 15 points since a similar Research Co. survey conducted in April.
Almost nine-in-ten Canadian “provisional home workers” (89%, +9) feel their company trusts they are carrying on with their duties from home, and 78% (+9) think their company is perfectly equipped for them to do their work from home.
Four-in-five “provisional home workers” (80%, +18) acknowledge that working from home has been easier than they originally thought—including 87% of those aged 55 and over and 83% of Quebecers.
“Back in April, the notion of working from home was definitely intimidating for some Canadians,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Eight months later, most say they have all they need in order to fulfil their duties away from the office and acknowledge that the experience has been positive.”
Almost half of “provisional home workers” (46%, =) say they are having a difficult time working due to distractions at home.
There is a sizeable generational gap when it comes to focusing on the tasks at hand while at home. While only 25% of those aged 55 and over claim to have a tough time with distractions, the proportion rises to 45% among those aged 35-to-54 and 54% among those aged 18-to-34.
Two thirds of “provisional home workers” in Canada (68%, +1) say they miss interacting with other people at their regular office, including 73% of men, 73% of those aged 18-to-34 and 86% of British Columbians.
Almost half of “provisional home workers” (47%, +3) say they miss commuting to their regular office or workplace. Those aged 18-to-34 are more likely to yearn for their daily commute (54%) than their counterparts aged 35-to-54 (43%) and aged 55 and over (44%).
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from December 2 to December 6, 2020, among 803 Canadian adults who are currently working from home instead of at their regular office. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca