Average weekly - 47%
Peak Day - Wednesday 59%
Slow Day - Friday 27%
Advances continue through April.
See several Articles of Interest below which underscore the tension between employers and employees over when and how remote work should be managed.
The next Index is scheduled for May 25th, 2023.
Links to Articles of Interest
Flexibility Versus Feedback: Remote Workers Need to Decide Priorities for Career Advancement
In a new study just published, Harvard economists working with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and University of Iowa found that while senior professionals can manage remote work without damaging their career prospects the same may not be true for those who are junior, less experienced. It is this cohort – the leaders of tomorrow – who are potentially disadvantaged when deprived of in-person feedback from mentors and other colleagues commonly associated with working in an office environment. The study’s preliminary findings, while focusing on a narrow segment of knowledge work, offer insights that can be more broadly applied, say the authors. It comes down to the benefits of “face to face vs Facetime,” says one of the economists who prepared the study. While many office workers have become reliant on the flexibility offered by remote work, the potential downsides of working in isolation from co-workers is an issue that younger professionals need to consider.
Federal Employees Striking Over Money But Also Remote Work Conditions
Including the right to work from home in the collective agreement is a “red line” the government is reluctant to cross, according to recent reporting from the Financial Post. PSAC president Chris Aylward called the Treasure Board policy “senseless” and said unionized workers were “furious” over the plan. “The federal government’s blanket hybrid work plan … forces a flawed one-size-fits-all approach on a diverse and evolving public service,” PSAC said in a statement. Meanwhile critics of PSAC are referencing a 2021 Fraser Institute study that concluded federal workers already enjoy a wage differential over private sector compatriots, and are less at risk of layoffs.
https://financialpost.com/fp-work/psac-strike-why-work-from-home-sticking-point-negotiations?s=09
Federal Employees Seeking Double Digit Wage Increases, Plus Entrenchment of Right to Work Remotely
More than 150,000 federal workers are on strike, seeking double digit increases in pay. But a key issue on the bargaining table is the right to work from home. According to the Globe and Mail, “PSAC is also demanding that remote-work language be entrenched in any future collective agreements, so that unionized workers have the ability to grieve a forced return to the office that they deem unfair. The government has mandated that all federal public employees be in the office at least two to three times a week.”
A Combination of Remote Work and AI Helping Some Workers Hold Down Multiple Jobs
As patterns of remote work start to form increasingly rigid opinions for and against, some workers looking to increase their incomes are capitalizing on AI tools to provide them with the ability to hold down two, three or even four jobs when working remotely. While based on a tiny sample, this article published in VICE, an engineering publication, explores yet another wrinkle that could determine whether our urban fabric is whole cloth or simply non-iron. “ChatGPT does like 80 percent of my job if I’m being honest,” one interviewee admitted.
BMO Creates New Offices in Former Retail Space
The rapid shift in the fortunes of department stores has seen landlords scrambling to find alternatives that can pay the rent. Things took an unusual turn at the Eaton Centre recently when BMO cut the ribbon on 350,000 sq ft of repurposed retail to provide “more open space that would bring employees together to drive collaboration,” BMO’s chief strategy and operations officer announced. The space includes a wellness centre and ergonomic sit or stand workstations. There are showers (useful for those who cycle to work) and gender-neutral washrooms. Attention has also been paid to designs that facilitate wheelchair access and wayfinding colour prompts.
Was New Yorker Cover from 2017 Ahead of its Time?
For a longer examination of how AI could affect the future of work, read the article below by advisor to the U.S. President and author Tim Wu. “Ever since there’s been AI, there’s been a fear that robots are coming for our jobs, best illustrated by the 2017 New Yorker cover depicting robots stepping past human panhandlers on their way to work,” he writes. “But if history is any guide, we humans may face nearly the opposite problem. We will not be unemployed, but asked to do far more less meaningful work. That follows, because we live in a culture obsessed with output and productivity, and supervised AIs may make it possible to do more in less time. Take whatever it is you do, triple the output demands and witness your future.” Key question: does a job that can be done remotely increase the chance of that job being done by AI? https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-in-an-ai-future-we-are-all-middle-managers/
Some U.S. Cities Turning to Tax Strategies to Promote Office to Residential Conversions
“Falling tax revenue. Aging downtowns losing their vitality. Record office vacancy. A housing crisis. One strategy could tackle all of these problems in one fell swoop: a wave of office-to-residential conversions.” This summarizes a move by cities in the U.S. to temp developers into taking on the risky – and often expensive – process of converting failed office properties into much needed housing.
Call Centres in the U.S. Embrace Remote Work – A “World of Hurt” for Landlords
The continued growth of on-line shopping is one of several factors stimulating an increase in the number of call centres established in the U.S. However, what was once a reliable source of revenue for landlords looking to fill up empty office space is fast disappearing according to commercial realtors as call centre operators save on rent by moving their workforce to work from home. Even a major cybersecurity firm has committed to 100% remote work for its 600 employees. Says one of their top executives, with no hint of irony, “If you have the right tools to ensure security, privacy, and tracking work there are few reasons to have your staff in a single location to be supervised. Good training, [standard operating procedures], scripts and quality control while providing your team the right tools to work effectively from home will be a much wiser investment than paying rent for facilities.” There is no mention of whether home-based internet services are able to provide the kind of security a cyber security firm might require…
New York Subway Traffic Reaches Milestone
Although still well below pre-pandemic numbers, the MTA is celebrating a recent milestone that saw 4M passenger trips in one day. “The MTA is the lifeblood of this city, and New York State has made critical investments in our subways to improve the rider experience,” Governor Hochul stated.
A Bold Idea for Mayoralty Candidates this June
Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, is banning through traffic in its downtown for the foreseeable future (pegged tentatively at three months, but this is a ‘dynamic’ estimate). The principal reason is practical. “The zones are being justified with reasons that even the most avid devotee of private cars might see the sense of. This summer central Lisbon is undergoing substantial major construction, including a metro extension that will create two new stations, an installation of new storm drains to prevent flooding along the city’s waterfront, street resurfacing and work on the sewers,” reports a writer for London-based CityLab. With hardly a block free from construction in Toronto’s core, utility replacement, road repairs and preparations for closing of sections of Queen Street for at least four and a half years in anticipation of the multi-billion dollar Ontario line (source: Metrolinx), mayoralty candidates who don’t really anticipate winning might have fun recommending a similar ploy in Toronto.
“The Occupancy Index is supported by the City of Toronto, Financial District BIA, Bloor-Yorkville BIA, The Waterfront BIA, Downtown Yonge BIA, St Lawrence Market BIA and Toronto Entertainment District BIA. It is a measure of the percentage of office employees returning to the office compared to the number of employees who would normally have come to their offices pre-COVID. For a detailed description of the calculation please contact Iain Dobson at [email protected],”