A growing divide between Canadian employers and employees on return-to-office mandates could undermine workplace productivity, according to a new study from Cisco.
The company’s 2025 Hybrid Work Survey found that 68 per cent of employers now require staff to return to the office either fully or part-time. Only 30 per cent of those employers believe workers are most productive at home, while just 11 per cent offer fully flexible work policies.
Employees push for flexibility
The survey highlights contrasting preferences among employees. About 30 per cent said they prefer working remotely and 26 per cent favour hybrid arrangements. For workers, commuting costs were the top factor shaping attitudes toward remote and in-office work, with 44 per cent citing it as a key concern.
Courtney Elling, Cisco Canada’s hybrid work leader, said the data shows the need to balance productivity with flexibility.
“Canadian employees have shown they can thrive in hybrid environments, using digital tools to stay productive and connected,” Elling said. “Now, it’s not about choosing between remote or in-person, but designing flexible and intentional models that build trust, align with business priorities, and reflect how people work best. Flexibility isn’t a perk, it’s a performance driver.”
Office seen as a place for collaboration
When employees do come to the office, they say the main purpose is collaboration. The survey found:
- 92% go in to collaborate with colleagues
- 86% attend to brainstorm new ideas
- 86% go to interact with colleagues
Both employers (60 per cent) and employees (57 per cent) identified face-to-face interaction with leadership as the leading factor encouraging them to work in the office more often. Informal interactions such as coffee breaks and team lunches also ranked highly.
Technology gap persists
Despite employees’ comfort with digital tools, investment by employers remains limited. Only 17 per cent of Canadian organizations said they are investing in artificial intelligence or advanced collaboration tools to support hybrid work.
Canadian workers reported higher use of basic tools than their global peers, with 59 per cent using video conferencing compared to a global average of 48 per cent, and 62 per cent using instant messaging compared to 54 per cent worldwide.
The survey also found lower adoption of more advanced technology, such as virtual meeting rooms, project management platforms, and smart meeting room assistants.
About the survey
Cisco’s 2025 Hybrid Work Study was based on a global survey conducted in April 2025, covering 21,513 employers and employees across 21 markets, including 1,000 respondents from Canada. Participants came from organizations of various sizes and sectors, ranging from business services to transportation and logistics.
