Rethinking remote work beyond the productivity debate

As debates over remote work persist, Jean‑Nicolas Reyt, a professor at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, argues the issue is often misunderstood.

Remote work’s success is not inherent—it hinges on preparation and the quality of management. Reyt notes that early evidence of lower performance may reflect outdated practices rather than the limits of remote work itself.

Why HR needs to reframe AI as a tool, not a threat

As AI adoption accelerates across Canadian workplaces, employee anxiety is becoming a growing concern, with many workers worried automation could reshape or replace their roles. According to Jean-Nicolas Reyt, associate professor of organizational behaviour at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, HR leaders need to acknowledge those fears rather than dismiss them.

The five-day workweek strains under modern work pressures

As the five-day workweek reaches its 100-year mark, Jean‑Nicolas Reyt, an associate professor at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, says it is no longer suited to the realities of modern work.

Originally designed during the industrial era to boost productivity, the model now clashes with rising burnout and the spread of new technologies.

“Gut feelings” don’t lead to good hiring

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently advised business leaders to look beyond the resume of job seekers, and trust in their interaction with candidates. But trusting your gut isn’t a good way to build the best team, according to Lisa Cohen, Associate Professor at McGill Desautels.

AI agents can automate tasks, but come with privacy and security risks 

Most of us interact with large language models like ChatGPT and Claude through browsers or apps, but AI agents can apply the power of LLMs in entirely different ways.

Generative AI adoption has knock-on effects within an organization

Generative AI has begun replacing tasks at work, especially the dull, repetitive and simple ones. But when a task—or an entire job—is replaced by AI, the change doesn’t stop there. The jobs of the people using AI-produced information change too.

This International Women’s Day, focus on the work that still needs to be done

This International Women’s Day, Desautels researcher, Janani Ramesh is urging us to see the big picture—by focusing a little less directly on success stories of individual women. “Initiatives that celebrate how far women have come or single out women’s resilience do the opposite of what’s intended,” Ramesh told HR Reporter.

Remote work helps busy families manage household responsibilities

Affordability has reached a breaking point, and most households now depend on two incomes just to stay afloat. In this environment, telework has become essential, Jean Nicolas Reyt told La Presse.

Telecommuting has been around for decades—and big companies have never really been on board

Remote work leapt into the public consciousness during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many jobs shifted to a fully remote model for public health reasons. However, the concept of telecommuting long predates the pandemic. “It was invented in the 1970s, for environmental reasons,” Jean-Nicolas Reyt told La Presse.

Men and women respond to work incentives in very different ways

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reviews hundreds of thousands of applications each year, making efficiency a challenge. When managers introduced cash incentives for meeting quotas, men and women reacted differently. Men tended to increase their output to secure the bonus, but the quality of their reviews declined. Women, by contrast, often prioritized maintaining high-quality work, even if it meant missing out on the financial reward.

Does job hopping affect your career prospects? It depends.

Young professionals are frequently advised that the best way to progress professionally is to pursue new opportunities, even if it means changing jobs. Yet, in some cases, employers may view a history of frequent job changes unfavorably, according to research by Matissa Hollister, an Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour.

AI replaces tasks, not entire jobs

AI is changing the workplace, but it usually doesn’t replace entire jobs. Before laying people off because of ‘AI efficiencies’, employers need a solid plan. “We may or may not overestimate how much AI will affect the world of work, but we’ve figured out that it does not destroys jobs, it destroys tasks,” says Lisa Cohen, Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour at McGill Desautels.

Employers are more open to negotiating employment terms than Canadians assume

Relatively few job candidates negotiate the terms of their employment, often because they fear losing the offer. Yet surveys show recruiters are open to negotiation, and it is rare for employers to withdraw an offer because a candidate attempted to negotiate.

Many workers are back in the office full-time—and some aren’t happy about it

The world’s pivot to remote work in 2020 happened almost overnight, altering workplace expectations in ways still felt today. The return to the office is happening more slowly, but many of the country’s biggest employers now require workers to be in the office five days each week—and not everyone is happy about it.

Employers should consider whether hybrid work will achieve the same aims as a return to the office

For many workers, the return to the office is already in full effect.