Perspectives of Working Mothers in the Ontario Public Service on Hybrid Work Arrangements

This exploratory qualitative study examines how hybrid work has impacted working mothers in the Ontario Public Service. Twenty-two participants with children between eighteen months and seventeen years participated in focus groups to understand their perspectives and experiences of the impact of hybrid work on their domestic and professional lives during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current time. The study's results confirm that the participants reported the impact depended on what phase of hybrid work was being discussed, with different challenges occurring earlier in the pandemic compared to the current time. In the present-day hybrid work arrangements, participants reported an overall positive impact from hybrid work in their domestic lives, including housework, childcare responsibilities, and self-care. The reported impact of hybrid work on the participants' professional lives was more nuanced; participants reported increased productivity and satisfaction levels working at home compared with earlier in the pandemic, while remote connection and communication with work colleagues and management remained an ongoing challenge. The perspectives on boundaries between domestic and professional life were divided between participants who appreciated the flexibility of extended hours while working remotely and others who were concerned about the meshing of work and professional life. This small-scale study provides avenues for future larger-scale research, which can help inform the hybrid work policy for the Ontario Public Service and other public service areas moving forward.