When the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world in early 2020, auto-industry staff were working from home and Jean Marc Leclerc, CEO of Honda Canada, wrestled with how he would lead from afar.
“Like so many others, I waited for the world to return to normal just so I could get back to being in the office five days a week. After all, that’s where we’re most productive and how we build success, right?” he wrote in a recent LinkedIn post.
As the pandemic maintained its stranglehold on day-to-day business, LeClerc realized that being in the office wasn’t enough to make him feel connected. He had to change as a leader.
“One of the most profound lessons for me is about the importance of balancing work and life,” Leclerc wrote. “I believe some leaders overlook the fact that pre-pandemic work styles were far from perfect. Returning to how things were is a comforting tactic that ignores everything we learned.”
Honda has found what Leclerc calls “our sweet spot.” The schedule has about 25 per cent of the company’s salaried employees — there are about 1,000 at its Markham, Ont., head office — eligible to work at home up to three days a week.
Leclerc now makes it a point to connect with people when he is in the office.
“This has played a big part in helping me feel more connected,” he said.
A TACTIC TO TAP TALENT
Honda is among the automakers interviewed by Automotive News Canada that sees benefits for hybrid work schedules for salaried employees.
Remote work opportunities have allowed Stellantis Canada to expand its recruiting efforts across the country and attract candidates who might not have considered the Windsor, Ont.,-based automaker.
“We have had the opportunity to hire employees from different parts of the country to fill positions traditionally based in Windsor,” said Jacqueline Oliva, Stellantis Canada’s vice-president of human resources.
Under what Stellantis calls “the New Era of Agility,” the company anticipates those employees blending remote and in-office work to average 70 per cent remote working time and 30 per cent on-site. At the height of the pandemic, about 90 per cent of Canadian salaried employees worked from home. Since then, 61 per cent are back in the office.
“The 70-30 blend is an overall objective and gives our team opportunities to do their work where they are most productive,” Oliva said. Some employees have had to work on-site full time because of the nature of their job, including those who work in research and development, as well as salaried staff at plants, she said.
Feedback from an internal survey found that 84 per cent of employees throughout North America prefer remote work or a blend in the future, Oliva said, and 74 per cent say remote work affords more flexibility.
“The New Era of Agility enables and supports employee flexibility, with employees coming on-site to create, connect or celebrate with their teams.”
FORD’S FUTURE OF WORK: HYBRID
Ford Canada developed a Future of Work document in 2021, stemming from a June 2020 employee survey that found 95 per cent of employees preferred a mix of remote and in-office work when the pandemic ended.
Ford has adopted a set of global standards to follow as it adapts to a hybrid work model, “blending remote and physical work arrangements for team members who are nonplace-dependent,” according to the policy.
The company lets leaders customize their on-site collaboration strategy to achieve their distinct business goals, said Ford spokeswoman Kerri Stoakley.
“How we work will always be evolving, but Ford expects to maintain a hybrid work model for those jobs that are not site-dependent going forward.”
The hybrid work model could apply to about 1,800 positions throughout Canada, Ford said.
The Future of Work document said that the company has been able to attract and retain top talent with the hybrid approach and that it benefits from higher productivity and efficiencies.
Ford also has invested in online employee networking tools, such as Webex, Yammer and Bluescape.
AT GM, ‘FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS’
At GM Canada, eligible salaried employees pivoted Jan. 30 to working three days a week on-site, said spokeswoman Maria Raynal. While she did not have an exact number, she said the hybrid arrangement applies to thousands of employees in Canada and the United States.
Surveys found that most GM employees want flexible arrangements that combine on- and off-site work.
The new workplace approach does not affect employees whose roles are fully on-site or designated as remote.
“We’re collaboratively designing flexible solutions that best balance the needs of the enterprise with the needs of employees,” Raynal said.
At Hyundai Canada, CEO Don Romano said the company this year implemented a return-to-office schedule of three in-person days per week. Hyundai will continue recognizing that flexibility and work-life balance are essential elements that lead to employee job satisfaction, he said.
This arrangement applies to about 200 head-office employees based in Markham and 50 field staff working in stores.
“We believe this is an important step to enhance the teamwork necessary to address the growing challenges our industry is facing due to the uncertain economic outlook, the transition to electrification and the need to support our customers, dealers and field organization,” Romano wrote in an email to Automotive News Canada.
“Equally important is the need to support the development of our employees through one-on-one mentoring, coaching and counseling to help them advance in their careers, which requires a certain amount of physical presence and collaboration in the office.”
