Commuting Into the Office Five Days A Week Is Down 36% Since Pre-Pandemic

• Two-thirds (67%) of Canadian employees commuted into an office 5 days a week or more prior to the pandemic. By May 2022, that proportion had dropped to just 43%; a decrease of 36%.
• Three quarters (73%) say commuting less is important to fight the climate crisis
• 84% of hybrid/remote workers say hybrid working has improved their work-life balance
• A third of workers (32%) would refuse to commute five days a week

As climate scientists around the world sound the alarm on the changing climate, hybrid working is playing a role in cutting emissions due to reduced commutes. Commuting into the office five days a week is down 36% since the start of the pandemic, according to research by IWG, the world’s largest flexible workspace company — which includes popular flexspace brands SPACES and Regus.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, global CO2 emissions were estimated to have fallen by as
much as a quarter. The latest UN climate change report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and
Vulnerability, warns that resistance to change is one of the greatest barriers to tackling the climate crisis,
with hybrid working being heralded by the UN as a way to address six of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Hybrid Work & Sustainability: Key Canadian Findings
The recent widespread adoption of hybrid work is reducing Canadian workers’ impact on the environment. According to IWG, three-quarters of employed Canadians (73%) stated that reduced commutes are key to fighting climate change. In a sign of just how much workplace expectations have changed due to the pandemic, a third of workers (32%) would refuse to commute five days a week, and 41% of hybrid or remote workers are concerned their employer will ask them to return to the office full-time sometime in 2022. Two in three (67%) employed Canadians would like their employer to offer a workspace within 15 minutes of their home.

In addition to the environmental advantages of hybrid working, 85% of hybrid workers say that commuting less has allowed them to save money, 84%say hybrid working has improved their work-life balance, and 64% say that commuting less allows them to be more productive. “It’s not often that business practices are widely agreed to be beneficial for employers, employees, and the environment, but that’s what we’re seeing with hybrid working,” explains Wayne Berger, CEO, IWG Americas. “Ultimately, by adopting hybrid working, businesses save money, gain flexibility, and reduce their carbon footprint, while employees spend less time and money traveling — without losing the social aspect of office life. It’s a textbook example of ‘triple bottom line’ sustainability: a win for people, profits, and the planet.”

Globally, IWG is adding 1,000 flexspace locations mainly to suburban areas, bringing workplaces closer to
where people actually live. In Canada, IWG recently announced it is opening in Truro, Nova Scotia,
marking its Canada-wide growth strategy into smaller, tertiary markets.

To learn more about hybrid working and sustainability, see IWG Whitepaper: Prosperous and
sustainable: How hybrid working can support a greener future.