Workplaces are opening up, but not everyone is returning to their former office or even their former job. Remote working is increasing competition for talent and is leading some Atlantic Canadians to ditch local employers in favour of others based elsewhere, including Silicon Valley.

Remote working also means that staff who’ve been given the permanent option of working from home may choose not to return to the office.  Other companies are reconsidering whether they need office space at all.

Entrevestor heard from one “long-time observer of the Atlantic Canadian startup scene" who said that remote working has increased competition for skilled staff.

“A lot of companies had issues against some of the larger U.S. companies before, but now with the larger ones jumping on work from home it's going to be even harder,” he said.

“I know of quite a few people who left good jobs at [Atlantic Canadian companies] since they could start working remotely for Silicon Valley based companies."

Speaking earlier to the CBC, Saeed El-Darahali, President and CEO of multi-channel marketing company SimplyCast, said remote working allows him to more easily hire people from around the world.

El-Darahali said many of SimplyCast’s Dartmouth-based staff of around 30 have chosen to keep working from home.

"The employees have shared with us that the reduction in travel, being able to eat at home, drink at home, and have that quality of life has been tremendous," El-Darahali told the CBC.

About a third of SimplyCast’s 30 staff said they missed in-person interactions, and those people will return to the office.

El-Darahali said he believes the biggest long-term challenge of working from home will be mental health. He also said electronic communication can create issues due to the lack of social cues. He plans to arrange more non-work group activities so his staff can get together.

SaaS travel company Trip Ninja has cancelled its office space at Volta, Halifax’s startup hub, with staff now using Volta’s Network membership instead.

“Most staff say they'll go in 1-2 days a week max,” Andres Collart, TripNinja CEO told Entrevestor.

“Our team is half in Halifax and half in the rest of Canada so we're working remote pretty easily. Our developer in Ottawa actually likes it better since when everyone is remote, he's included more.” 

Introhive, which is based in Fredericton and Washington, D.C., recently moved into a new office on Barrington Street in Halifax only to be shut down because of the pandemic.

The company, which enables sales teams to use customer relationship management tools more effectively, transitioned its global teams to remote working. Management is currently allowing employees to do what feels right and safest for them.

“As of right now, employees in N.S. will remain remote until we find the best possible solution for a safe return to offices,” Ashley MacInnis, Marketing Communications Manager said.

Jeremy VanSlyke, a music producer at Halifax-based Leaf Music said the company had intended to move to a larger office downtown in November, and is putting the plan on hold until April. For now, the company is staying where it’s been in the North End since 2014.

ProcedureFlow, the Saint John venture that helps companies’ employees find vital information quickly, had just finished construction on a brand new work space in the city’s Market Square when COVID 19 hit.

Amy Webber, the company’s Best Practices Manager, said ProcedureFlow has recently opened the office and instituted a list of safe work practices, including:

• Employees are allowed to work from home for the foreseeable future (perhaps permanently, but we still haven’t made that decision.)   Coming into the office is NOT mandatory, or even encouraged at this point. 
• Separate entry and exit doors for one-way traffic.  Employees must sanitize hands on entering office.
• We require employees to wear masks when walking around the office because we can’t guarantee six feet of distance when up and walking around.  No masks required while seated.
• We’ve removed half of the chairs in the meeting and board rooms. 
• Employees are required to wipe down tables, workstations and lunchroom counter/microwave after each use. 
• Office is completely cleaned and disinfected by CleanMark at the end of the day.   
• Employees are required to follow all social distancing practices put in place by Hardman Group for public spaces, escalators, etc. around Market Square.
• Signage posted outside and inside office space as required.

Of course, many employers and employees are looking forward to a return to normal.

Kyle Racki, CEO of Proposify, a Halifax company whose software simplifies and enhances the process of writing proposals in the cloud, said the goal is to get back to the office when it's safe to do so.

“We're still trying to figure it all out but I have to say a lot of our team is excited about the thought of getting back to the office,” he said.