Remote work offers flexibility, but at what cost to learning opportunities for young workers?

Six years after the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to remote work, hybrid and remote arrangements have become an established part of the labour market.

About one in five Canadians now works remotely some or all of the time.

For many employees, this shift has brought greater autonomy and flexibility.

Time previously spent commuting can instead be spent with family or friends.

Research has also found that hybrid work can improve employee retention without sacrificing performance.

These benefits, however, may not be experienced equally.

Remote and hybrid work may be particularly difficult for employees who are at the beginning of their careers, when much of their professional development still depends on learning from experienced colleagues.

Our new report, “ The End of the Water Cooler: The Hidden Cost of Remote and Hybrid Work on Entry-Level Employees ,” examines this problem.

Much of how we learn is informal Think about your first professional job.

Much of what you learned probably didn’t come from an employee handbook.

You likely learned by observing those around you.

You heard how they approached a problem.

Someone pointed out a mistake before it became a larger one.

A mentor invited you to a meeting.