Results are in from Workforce WindsorEssex's survey on the local experience when it comes to remote work.
Officials say they received over 300 respondents, 312 in total, mostly from employees which is a number they're quite happy about.
Nick Prsa, Research Associate at Workforce WindsorEssex, says some of main findings from the survey include 75 per cent describing working remotely as either a very positive change or a positive change and 84 per cent saying they would keep working remotely if they had the choice.
"We also asked what some of the positives they had in their experience working remotely. The vast majority chose that saving time and money by not commuting, about 93 per cent of respondents listed this. As well as fewer office distractions and interruptions."
70 per cent also said they found they were more productive and were producing more efficient results when working remotely.
Prsa says they asked non-remote working employees if their workplace had considered remote work, and about 60 per cent said that they had.
"What's interesting is that when asked listing the obstacles to their workplace having remote work, they've listed things like the presumption that employees would be less productive," he continued. "Which is kind of at odds with what we're finding in the experiences of workers that had been working remotely."
Officials believe it's important to juxtapose their findings from those who have been doing the work remotely versus presumptions on what it would be like.
Prsa says that 80 per cent of all respondents, whether remote workers or not, think that working remotely will remain relevant in the foreseeable future.
Based on what they're seeing on a national and provincial level, Prsa says they believe that will be the case locally as well.
"From everyone involved, it feels like it's going to remain relevant. But it has an overwhelming appeal to those who have worked remotely, and most respondents were able to express about what appealed to them. So that's the biggest takeaway from this that will inform a lot of the work and resources that we have going forward on this subject."
Prsa says going forward they'd like to get better feedback from employers, to see feedback from another perspective on the topic of remote work.