Rolling back flexibility puts new pressure on future productivity

Opinion

Return-to-office mandates are back on agendas across Canada and they are provoking strong reactions.

Senior managers argue a shared workplace restores collaboration, culture and client responsiveness. Many employees, especially those caring for children or elders, see rigid mandates as a blunt instrument that ignores real constraints at home and in their communities. Caught in the middle are younger workers, who often say they value flexibility but also need the in-person apprenticeship that accelerates early careers.

Sorting through these tensions requires more than popularity polls about remote work. It calls for looking at what the evidence says about productivity, promotion, mentorship and the national economic context.

Why are senior leaders pressing to bring people in?

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