Working from home has become the norm for just about anyone who is able to do so.

This is, of course, due to COVID-19, but many businesses are also starting to realize that working from home may be what the future holds indefinitely, especially in big cities like Toronto.

Working from home has been an eye-opening experience for all businesses regardless of their industry and size. It has made both employees and employers see how efficient and easy it can be in reality. Studies have shown that people are actually more productive when working from home than they were when working in an office. This is especially true for people with a good home office setup built with productivity in mind. 

One reason why people are putting in more productive work hours is the lack of a commute, which is especially true for Torontonians. In Toronto, over 2.7 million people were commuting to and from work every day in the pre-COVID world. With a huge percentage of these commuters now working from home, employers are finding that employees are investing that commute time back into their work days. Not needing to commute also reduces stress by giving workers more time to focus on decision-making and problem-solving.

Another trend worth noting is that, without having to commute to an office, people who work in the city do not necessarily have to live in the city. For those who are looking at a permanent work-from-home situation, apartments outside of Toronto, which may have lower market rent rates, are increasingly enticing. 

Still, Toronto workers may not want to look into moving out of the city too quickly. While it may not always feel like it, the extreme impacts of the pandemic will eventually come to an end, and many workers may find themselves needing to pick up their commute again. While predictions on what the future holds remain uncertain, many believe that working from home will not replace working in-office, but rather will supplement working in-office. While working from home may be better for productivity, many are missing the collaboration and team-bonding that occurs best in a real-life setting.