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In this issue we explore the return-to-office vs remote working discussions insurance companies have been having. Employers weigh up staff sentiments, productivity, hybrids, reduced office overhead costs and work-life balance as they formulate plans for an ever-shifting pandemic situation.
Since March 2020 many insurance industry employees, like other industries, have resided in their homes working remotely as gathering restrictions have been put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Driven by the pandemic, between 2016 and 2021, the at-home workforce jumped from 5% to 32%, for Canadians aged 15 - 69, according to Statistics Canada.
By the end of 2020, Canadians started getting vaccinated and by mid-January 2022 nearly 80% of the Canadian population had received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
But the emergence of the Omicron variant changed the perspective of many people on return-to-office timelines and pre-pandemic work-life balance.