Introduction :
For over two decades, we have witnessed a revolutionary organizational shift, primarily driven by the advent of digital technology, preceded by a generation for whom ICT is second nature. Organizations have had to reinvent themselves to survive and remain competitive. This reality brings its share of adjustments and challenges for every organization, as new values have emerged, making regeneration essential to meet market demands and employee expectations. Moreover, the 2020 health crisis only accelerated this transformation, with some seizing it as a business opportunity to gain maturity and growth.
In this document, we examine remote work as a new workplace norm and a flexibility value that gained momentum with the onset of the health crisis. It aligns well with the values of a generation that advocates for flexibility while highlighting its advantages and disadvantages for both employees and organizations.Ensuite, nous concluons avec un portrait idéal d’un emploi qui garantit flexibilité et engagement au travail.
1- Characteristics and Expectations of Generation Y
Of course, this is the generation born between 1979 and 1994. In his article, Dalmas, M. (2014) provides the best portrait of the traits that characterize Generation Y. They have a strong need for achievement through the challenges offered by their job.
They are quite ambitious, which is why they tend to change employers frequently in search of greater engagement and a stronger psychological contract.
Indeed, these individuals have a taste for adventure and are willing to take risks in pursuit of innovation and excitement. They prioritize employers who invest in their skills through training and mentorship. As a result, their job security primarily lies in their employability, which contrasts with the previous generation that placed a high value on stability and career progression.
This is also a group that asserts itself clearly, with well-defined expectations—nothing is left to chance. They tend to be opportunistic and individualistic, where self-esteem and the need for recognition play a significant role. At the same time, they are highly collaborative, seeking a workgroup they can identify with and contribute to meaningfully (Dalmas, M., 2014).
Finally, this generation places great importance on work-life balance and integration with other aspects of life. Flexibility and adaptability are at the core of their identity. They are engaged in multiple areas, multidisciplinary, and eager to diversify their careers and talents. Lifelong learners, they are constantly searching for meaning and fulfillment in everything they do!
1.1 Expectations Regarding Managerial Practices :
As mentioned earlier, the expectations of Generation Y are very clear and well-defined over time, and as a result, their objectives are also clear. Therefore, feedback is equally important, as it represents recognition, both intrinsic and extrinsic. Moreover, autonomy in performing their tasks is one of the fundamental requirements for employment, as autonomy is a prerequisite for creativity and innovation.
This generation is also recognized as tech-savvy. Dalmas, M. (2014) notes that they are capable of performing multiple tasks consecutively with a high level of familiarity with information technologies.
1.2 Expectations Regarding Organizations :
Individuals from this generation have a weak attachment to their employer. In other words, they will change employers for a better job opportunity that combines, among other things, flexibility, autonomy, and decision-making power. Indeed, the pursuit of self-assertion is the driving force behind this change. As a result, the individual decides to capitalize on their personal growth!
Finally, it should be mentioned that Generation Y gives a personal meaning to their career, especially with the development of civic sense and personal morality. Thus, the distinction between personal and professional life is seen as an assumed objective, with the intrusion of professional life into personal life through information technologies (Dalmas, M., 2014).
This is even more true since the 2020 health crisis, where the new work organization, particularly with telecommuting, pushed the boundaries of flexibility. Today, individuals have significant decision-making power regarding what makes them happy in balancing work and family life. Smart companies have adapted to this new reality.
2- Telecommuting, a New Work Organization :
In the urgency to act and in response to the crisis, companies around the world had to intervene to save their businesses. A new form of work organization has emerged, requiring individuals to adapt their living spaces to accommodate their workspaces. It is a matter of organization and time management dedicated to work. Many have taken the time to create at home more than just a workspace—one that is convivial, ergonomic, colorful, and decorated with live plants to inspire and encourage daily productivity and performance. However, it is not so easy for some to separate their professional environment from their family environment. Yet, many young employees today manage to make this distinction successfully.
2.1 The Positive Impact of Telecommuting on Employees :
It is important to affirm that, after a period of adaptation to this new form of work organization, some employees have derived significant advantages from it.
Telecommuting and Relocation
As reported in the Metro Media Journal, the article titled “Young Montrealers Swear by Telecommuting” presents the results of statistics on today’s young employees and their relationship with telecommuting. Indeed, they overwhelmingly support this mode of work, with nearly half of them wishing to work remotely even more. Cities are also seeing a significant portion of young workers considering relocating to rural areas. In this regard, the fourth “Travaillons Ensemble” survey by the Regroupement des jeunes chambres de commerce du Québec, in collaboration with Léger polling firm, and in the context of revitalizing downtown Montreal, shows that 85% of young workers aged 35 and under who work remotely do not want to return completely to the office.
Significant Time Savings
This translates into significant time savings in terms of commuting to the office. Many claim that avoiding daily traffic jams saves them a lot of time. On average, commuting time can exceed an hour, depending on aggravating factors like roadwork and the worker’s location relative to Montreal Island. A study conducted by American researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research revealed that telecommuting employees save an average of 72 minutes of free time per day. These employees attribute this time gain to the elimination of the commute between home and the office.
This saved time is, in fact, invested in physical activities, leisure, or simply spent with family. Furthermore, this time gain is highly valuable as it contributes to an improved quality of life.
Reduction in Transportation Costs
In a family setting, saving money on transportation directly impacts quality of life. It’s not uncommon for many employees to invest in real estate or the stock market. Such a significant saving makes many employees reconsider their choice of whether to remain telecommuters or not.
Productivity Gains
Statistics have shown that in a telecommuting context, employees are more productive because they devote 100% of their time to work. Of course, there are no coffee breaks or informal discussions in the hallways. There is no time for meetings with colleagues during lunch breaks, as employees are focused on their computers, attending video conferences. Many employees report that their performance is better when working remotely. They handle more tasks and even exceed pre-established productivity goals.
Statistics Canada also released data on this subject; the vast majority of new telecommuters report being at least as productive at home as in their usual workplace. 90% said they were productive, meaning they accomplished at least as much work per hour at home as they did in their usual workplace. More than half (58%) said they accomplished about the same amount of work per hour, while around a third (32%) reported accomplishing more work per hour.
A Culture of Adaptation
Consider the example of the Quebec government when it addressed professionals, the entire population included. It clearly asked people to adapt in order to face an uncertain situation. The ability to adapt and overcome traumatic shocks, such as the 2020 health crisis, has become fundamental. Today, resilience, or the ability to resist, has become a core value in businesses operating in an unstable and uncertain environment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to note that the reorganization of work around telecommuting has been advantageous for many employees. However, this method has shown some limits for others, with consequences that have been heavy for both employees and organizations.
2.2 The Negative Impact of Telecommuting on Employees :
Les Risques et Abus du Télétravail :
Comme toute innovation dans l’organisation du travail, le télétravail présente à la fois des avantages et des inconvénients. Selon Vendramin (2005), bien que le télétravail offre de nombreuses opportunités, il comporte également des risques et peut donner lieu à des abus. En voici quelques-uns qui concernent particulièrement les employés.
1. L’Enjeu de la Socialisation
Un des principaux désavantages du télétravail est la perte de la dimension sociale du travail en entreprise. En effet, de nombreux employés expriment leur désir de retourner au bureau car ils se sentent isolés et manquent des interactions informelles qui nourrissent les relations sociales au sein de l’entreprise. La machine à café, les discussions spontanées dans les couloirs ou pendant la pause déjeuner sont des moments qui permettent de renforcer les liens entre collègues, d’échanger des idées et de mieux comprendre l’environnement de travail. En l’absence de ces interactions, le sentiment de cohésion et d’appartenance à l’équipe peut en pâtir.
2. La Difficulté de Maintenir les Liens Sociaux
Au-delà des interactions informelles, il devient plus difficile de maintenir des liens sociaux avec ses collègues en dehors du cadre physique de l’entreprise. Cette situation a été particulièrement observée parmi les nouveaux employés, qui ont été recrutés pendant ou après la crise sanitaire et ont rarement eu l’occasion de rencontrer leurs collègues en personne. La difficulté à entretenir des relations sociales peut engendrer un sentiment d’isolement et entraver la création d’une culture d’équipe forte, essentielle au bon fonctionnement des groupes de travail.
3. L’Enjeu du Feed-back
Le feed-back, ou retour d’information, est un élément clé de la gestion des performances et de la motivation des employés. En télétravail, de nombreux employés se sentent déconnectés du processus de rétroaction. L’absence de feed-back régulier de la part des managers peut engendrer un sentiment d’incertitude chez les employés. Sans retour sur leurs prestations, ces derniers peuvent se poser des questions sur la qualité de leur travail et leur position dans l’entreprise. De plus, cela représente un défi pour les managers qui, souvent pressés par le temps, omettent de fournir un feed-back constructif, ce qui peut avoir des conséquences négatives sur la motivation des employés.
4. Le Manque de Communication Directe
Bien que la communication virtuelle soit devenue la norme en télétravail, elle ne peut jamais remplacer la richesse d’une communication en face à face. Les messages écrits ou par visioconférence peuvent être mal interprétés, car ils manquent des éléments non verbaux qui constituent une grande partie de la communication humaine. Les gestes, le ton de la voix, et même la posture sont des éléments essentiels pour éviter les malentendus. Selon Louadi (2005), la communication non verbale représente 93 % de l’échange humain, dont 38 % pour le ton de la voix et 55 % pour la gestuelle. Le manque de communication directe peut donc entraîner des erreurs de perception, des conflits ou des tensions non résolues.
5. Manque de Possibilités de Mentorat
Le mentorat, qui consiste en une relation d’accompagnement entre un salarié expérimenté et un nouveau venu dans l’entreprise, est essentiel pour l’intégration, le développement des compétences et le soutien moral. En télétravail, la mise en place de ce type de relation devient plus difficile, car il manque l’interaction en face à face qui facilite l’accompagnement et le suivi. De nombreux nouveaux employés ont exprimé des difficultés liées à l’absence de mentorat pendant la période de télétravail, ce qui peut nuire à leur intégration dans l’entreprise. Un manque de soutien et de conseils dès les premiers jours peut entraîner une démotivation et, dans certains cas, le départ prématuré de l’employé.
6. L’Affaiblissement des Frontières Entre Vie Professionnelle et Vie Personnelle
Le télétravail a tendance à flouter les frontières entre la vie professionnelle et la vie personnelle. L’utilisation constante des technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) permet aux employés d’être connectés en permanence et de gérer leur travail même en dehors des horaires habituels. Ce phénomène de “travail hors mur” peut engendrer des effets négatifs sur la santé mentale et physique des employés, notamment le stress, la fatigue et le burnout. En effet, la pression d’être toujours joignable et de répondre rapidement aux urgences professionnelles peut entraîner une surcharge de travail et une diminution de la qualité de vie personnelle (Dumas et Ruiller, 2014). Ce phénomène est souvent exacerbé par les politiques d’entreprise axées sur la flexibilité des employés et la culture de l’urgence.
Conclusion
Le télétravail, bien qu’il présente des avantages indéniables, peut aussi comporter des risques et des abus pour les employés. L’isolement social, le manque de communication directe, la difficulté à maintenir des liens professionnels solides et l’absence de feed-back sont autant de défis auxquels les télétravailleurs peuvent être confrontés. Pour que le télétravail soit véritablement bénéfique, il est essentiel que les entreprises mettent en place des stratégies pour préserver la cohésion des équipes, maintenir une communication claire et soutenir le bien-être des employés. Les solutions incluent des rencontres régulières, un suivi personnalisé du travail des employés et un encadrement adapté pour les nouveaux recrutés.
2.3 Impact Positif du Télétravail sur les Entreprises :
A Lever for Attraction and Retention: In a context of labor shortages, several companies have had to adapt to the new market demands in order to remain competitive and attractive. Thus, being a reference employer means improving one’s ability to attract talent (provided that the company’s uniqueness is communicated) and strengthening the retention of existing employees. This is done while maintaining their motivation to contribute to an organization that sees them as assets worth investing in (Chaminade, 2006). Consequently, teleworking becomes a measure that offers great flexibility to employees. Such measures, offered by a large number of companies, enhance both internal and external attractiveness and communicate a distinctive employer brand (Chaminade, 2006).
A Culture of Flexibility: When telework is well-regulated, employees are reassured about what is expected of them by the company, including daily and weekly working hours, their availability during these working hours to collaborate together, time allocated for rest, and so on. Indeed, a preferred employer is one who offers flexibility to employees to do their work from anywhere in the world, as long as the job allows. It is also one who allows employees to be digitally nomadic and live their daily lives differently, as is the case with several tech firms whose employees are scattered around the world, such as Globalia, Logient, O2web, etc.
Trust-Oriented Management: The trust relationship is a key element in any stable relationship between employee and employer. When each party commits to fulfilling the expectations of the other, or when each party behaves in accordance with their commitments (Chaminade, 2006), trust is generally accepted as a driving force in relationships between individuals, in their engagement (Morgan and Hunt, 1994), in organizational effectiveness, and in business performance (e.g., Charreaux, 1998; Mothe, 1999; Allouche and Amman, 2000). More specifically, according to Morgan and Hunt (1994), trust has a direct effect on engagement, which in turn influences behavior. This antecedent role of trust is reinforced by the idea that engagement involves a minimum of concessions, making it unlikely to occur without trust (Garbarino and Johnson, 1999).
Reduction in Operating Costs: With the onset of the health crisis, many companies realized that they had a large number of office spaces that no longer corresponded to the new work organization. This explains why many companies have had to permanently or partially reduce their office spaces. In this regard, Radio Canada revealed on April 20, 2023, data compiled by the Altus Group, announcing that the vacancy rate for office buildings in the Quebec City metropolitan area (RMR) rose from 7.9% in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 11.9% in the first quarter of 2023. This represents a 50.63% increase and a 4 percentage point variation. It is the highest rate recorded since 2000.
2.4 Negative Impact of Telecommuting on Companies :
It is certain that the new work organization presents certain limitations, here is what I have observed from my personal experience and also from the articles studied.
A Control Infrastructure: Telecommuting resembles a cultural shift for managers who may fear losing control over their employees and, therefore, their authority. This phenomenon is widely described as a major obstacle to telecommuting. The distancing between the employee and their team and the manager, who loses direct control, can be compensated by the use of communication tools, which also allow telecommuters to access information systems as if they were in the office (Dumas and Ruiller, 2018). Authors like V. Fernandez and L. Marrauld (2012) refer to the ICT tools used as “control infrastructures” both for managing their own activities and for monitoring their activities by managers.
Psychosocial Risks: Psychosocial risks are more difficult to detect in a telecommuting context. This is why managers must be extra vigilant. In fact, Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) have recently been introduced, designed for employees with chronic attendance and performance problems at work (Saba and Dolan, 2021). These programs are very useful for dealing with stress-related illnesses or serious marital difficulties. Since it has been recognized that these issues are partly due to work, several Canadian companies have adopted such programs (Saba and Dolan, 2021).
The Complexity of Measuring Actual Work: It is difficult to measure actual work, especially when it is not traditionally measured. This can lead to conflicts between the employee and their manager. Moreover, the manager cannot supervise telecommuters the same way as other employees. They are out of sight. Distance clearly changes the managerial relationship. The strategies that emerge must be renewed, meet these new demands, and move closer to results- or objective-based management.
Loss of Team Spirit: The sense of belonging to a team strengthens cohesion and enhances social relationships. Unfortunately, in a telecommuting context, the dynamics and priorities are different. Away from the office, it is more challenging to develop team spirit, especially with new recruits.
It should be noted that the negative effects of telecommuting, depending on their prevalence in the workplace, can include, among other things, a loss of employee engagement, difficulty identifying conflict situations, deterioration of the work environment, burnout and exhaustion, disengagement, demotivation, and even employee turnover. It turns out that a hybrid model is more beneficial for both employees and the company.
3- Towards a Better Form of Work Organization
Indeed, this model responds to the imperative of returning to the office. The goal is to take advantage of both a traditional organization and a new approach that advocates for remote work. This formula has the advantage of maintaining employee engagement, strengthening the sense of cohesion, and further solidifying the psychological contract that connects the employee to their company.
The hybrid model encourages teams to work together in the office, engage in social activities outside of office hours, promote happiness at work, while also providing freedom and autonomy to employees who have found new routines through remote work. As a result, many companies have observed an increase in employee performance and a decrease in absenteeism, which significantly reduces the company’s social charges and improves its profitability.
Conclusion :
The deployment of remote work was seen by some companies as a business opportunity to seize. Today’s business world requires a flexible and adaptable hierarchical structure, where continuous adaptation is necessary to survive and exceed partners’ expectations. The same applies to employees; flexibility and proactivity are essential, and remote work has pushed for these new values to be ingrained, with digitalization playing a very important role in making this work.
However, returning to the starting point would be an impossible question for many employees. Today, remote work has indeed become THE NORM, especially for certain specific sectors. Nonetheless, companies are working hard to implement rigorous policies related to remote work in order to better structure it and capitalize on its benefits.
Bibliographic reference:
· Dalmas, M. (2014). Quelles valeurs organisationnelles pour la génération Y ? Revue Management & Avenir, (72), 113-132. Retrieved from here
· Dumas, M., & Ruiller, C. (2014). Le télétravail: Les risques d’un outil de gestion des frontières entre vie personnelle et vie professionnelle ? Revue Management & Avenir, (74), 71-95. Retrieved from here
· DUMAS, M., & RUILLER, C. (2018). Quelles formes de régulation pour une mise en place réussie du télétravail dans la fonction publique territoriale ? [Which forms of adjustment for a successful implementation of teleworking in a local government service?] Politiques Et Management Public, 35(1-2), 5-26. doi:link
· Scaillerez, A., & Tremblay, D. (2016). LE TÉLÉTRAVAIL, COMME NOUVEAU MODE DE RÉGULATION DE LA FLEXIBILISATION ET DE L’ORGANISATION DU TRAVAIL : ANALYSE ET IMPACT DU CADRE LÉGAL EUROPÉEN ET NORD-AMÉRICAIN. Revue De l’Organisation Responsable, 11(1), 21-31. Retrieved from here
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