Historical Context and Evolution

Trends in Work from Home

$$Working from home "refers to being able to work from home anytime, which involves the increasing use of technology to enable employees to communicate with the workplace and support flexible working styles $($Grant et al$.,2013,$ Wang et al$.,2021).$ This pattern has become increasingly common in recent years, especially under the trend of globalization. Before the COVID$-19,$ remote working was gaining popularity in Canada, mainly in high$-$tech industries and some professional services. This was made possible by the proliferation of digital platforms $($e$.$g$.$ Mariani, Styven, & Teulon, $2021)($e$.$g$.,$ Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, and Moodle$)$ that, along with email services, instant messaging applications, and social media $($Dhir et al$.,2018,$ Dhir et al$.,2019,$ Malik et al$.,2021),$ allow employees to communicate synchronously and$/$or asynchronously outside the office.

Since the start of the convid$-19,$ the Statistics Canada$(2020)$ said the number of people working from home has increased from $4\mathrm{.}7$ million to $6\mathrm{.}8$ million in two months, about $40$ percent of the country's workforce. The government says people who work from home are in the same good mental health as those who commute. A survey of $1,000$ citizens by Research Co$,$ a polling company, found that $73$ per cent believe working from home will become popular after the pandemic. Sixty$-$three percent said video and teleconferencing will replace business trips, and $65$ percent expect to continue working from home when the epidemic stabilizes. Forty$-$six percent of people said that they will easily feel distracted when working from home.

Moreover, Baryshnikova, Kiriliuk, and Klimecka$-$Tatar $(2021)$ highlight that this transition was not merely a temporary measure but part of a broader trend towards digital transformation. Many businesses invested heavily in digital infrastructure to support remote work, including collaboration tools, cybersecurity measures, and cloud$-$based solutions $.$

Government and Business Responses

The Government of Canada has played a key role in facilitating the transition to remote working.

Policies were swiftly adapted to support businesses and workers$($Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, $2024)$

In addition, the government has promoted initiatives to improve digital culture and provided guidelines for maintaining productivity and mental health while working remotely.

Many organizations that previously resisted remote work due to concerns over productivity and data security quickly adapted.

Moreover, firms have allocated resources towards online cooperative platforms and tools to streamline project communication and administration.

COVID$-19$ has accelerated the transition to telecommuting in Canada and led to significant changes in the way businesses operate and the way employees treat working conditions.

Canadian laws and regulations regarding work from home.

In Canada, especially in British Columbia, work$-$from$-$home regulations and legal considerations are being developed through various cases and expert opinions. The accountant$$s case at Reach CPA Inc. is especially critical to remote working because it exposes $$time theft$$ as well as how employers have responded to using monitoring software. The British Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal found for the employer that there was a huge gap between the accountant$$s hours on record and the actual computer activity tracked by the software. This ruling shows that Canadian law seriously takes into account dishonesty in employment relations, particularly concerning remote work situations where there is an increasing reliance on monitoring tools. Owen, B$.(2023).$ New laws will be introduced soon in Ontario to make employers reveal how they monitor employees electronically. The surveillance and monitoring of employees have improved, especially with the advancement of technology that enables more intrusive types of monitoring, specifically for telecommuters. Legislation is expected to apply to companies with $25$ or more employees and would enclose both remote and in$-$person work environments. The proposed legislations are aimed at dealing with the absence of transparency in the current methods of surveillance. It is alleged that some employees are kept under close watch even during their breaks as well as private times without their knowledge. This has resulted into grave concerns about privacy invasion, prompting for tougher legislations to shield workers from such violations of their rights. $((2022).$ Toronto Star.$)$

Rights and responsibilities of employers and employees.

Ensuring that an employer's general liability insurance covers remote work scenarios, including things that may occur in employees$$ home offices during work activities like client meet. write me executive summary on the paragrph above