Many Canadian workers feel they are paying the COVID tax as overtime increased their hours over the past year, Angus Reid-ADP Canada’s survey shows. This impression is even more pronounced among remote workers since they are at home: Half of them say they spend more time in their careers.
Over the past year, the number of remote workers who work overtime has doubled, according to an ADP Canada survey. Whereas in April 2020, 21% of respondents claimed to be working more, they are now 44%, while a third of workers surveyed said they were 1 to 8 or more hours above their regular schedule per week.
The survey was conducted online on 1,501 Canadian workers on April 14 and 15, 2021, among the members of the Angus Reid Forum.
These findings confirm data collected by Statistics Canada and published in April, as well as the study conducted among 3,006 people in March by Léger and Concilivi, an initiative of Réseau pour un Québec Famille, whose mission is to promote “ the implementation of labor reconciliation procedures. ” Family and alignment with the new reality of work.
According to Statistics Canada, 35% of all new remote workers reported working more hours per day and managers, in greater proportions, 51%.
For its part, the Concilivi study, which covers all types of workers, revealed that 53% of respondents perform professional tasks outside normal working hours several times a month, every week and even every day.
Stress and productivity increase
Despite the longer working hours, remote workers feel more productive and notice an increase in the quality of their work, but they are also more stressed, according to an ADP Canada survey. About 42% of respondents said they were more productive (20% in 2020), 37% were doing better (19% in 2020) and 41% reported an increased level of stress (34% in 2020).
The question that needs to be asked is: Will it be possible to support this in the long term? Giorgiana Monto, senior human resources consultant at ADP Canada, a company that provides payroll processing, recruitment, and HR services, said over the phone. “The line is blurred between work and personal life. However, 46% of Canadian employees say their employer has developed initiatives to support mental health and well-being in the workplace during this time. Good, but these employers also need to encourage employees to take days off. , Take regular breaks, and check out. They have to make it clear to employees that they are not required to respond to emails after work hours. ”
Additionally, 69% of workers said their employer had not implemented any initiative to help combat fatigue from video conferencing platforms.
Flexibility in favor
In Quebec, 44% of respondents confirmed that their employer allows them to work on a modified schedule that takes into account personal responsibilities. And about 14% add that their employer can reduce their workload so that they can take care of their loved ones.
As for the Concilivi study, 89% of those questioned indicated that the employer’s openness to reconciling family work has a significant impact on their motivation at work, as the result rose by four points compared to a similar survey conducted in May 2020 at the time. The first wave of the pandemic.