Companies in British Columbia are more likely than those in most other Canadian provinces to offer telecommuting as an option to their employees, according to the results of a BMO study released Friday.
The study found that 26% of B.C. businesses offer their employees the option of telecommuting – which is defined as working remotely from outside the office – compared with 23% nationally.
The only other province that was more likely to offer this option was Alberta, with 34% of companies allowing their staff to telecommute.
Nationwide, of those companies that do offer telecommuting, 65% report it had a positive impact on productivity and 58% said it improved work quality.
Other reasons for offering telecommuting were:
- its positive impact on morale, which led to the ability to attract and retain employees; and
- a reduction in office and overhead expenses.
"In an evolving workforce, Canadian businesses are fighting to be flexible, innovative and enticing by offering incentives that will benefit not only the organization, but also their employees," said Steve Murphy, senior vice-president, commercial banking, BMO Bank of Montreal.
"These flexible work arrangements help employees achieve greater work-life balance, improve workplace productivity and strengthen employee morale."
BMO found that large companies were twice as likely to offer telecommuting as small businesses (47% versus 22%).
