Autonomy and control in the (home) office: Finance professionals' attitudes toward working from home in Canada as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns

Abstract

This paper explores the shift to working from home among finance professionals in Canada as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We present the results of a survey that invited quantitative and qualitative responses about attitudes toward working from home, the overlap between paid and unpaid (i.e., childcare and other caregiving) work in the home, changing relationships with employers, and preferences regarding the organisation and location of work. We argue that enforced working from home signalled a shift in outlook among finance professionals that, beyond stated preferences to work from home, shows both that many are seeking more autonomy and control over their working lives and a distinct ambivalence about working from home. This is significant in sectors like finance where overwork is common and in-office dynamics are seen, especially by managers and employers, as particularly important in relation to mentorship, advancement, and promotion, often within rigid masculinist hierarchies. Thus, an eventual return to ‘normal’, i.e., full-time office-based work, may be especially appealing in this sector. This paper contributes to the expanding literature on working from home resulting from COVID-19 lockdowns in white-collar professions within and outside of geography, with a focus on the literatures on work, workplaces, and social reproduction in economic and financial geography.