Flexible Work Before and After the Pandemic: Telecommuting, Mobility, and Work Arrangements Among Early Career Landscape Architects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing how landscape architects work, shifting a largely in-person, studio-based job to a work-from-home environment, and challenging longstanding office norms. This period of disruption and reflection has illuminated many perspectives on work, including that returning to pre-pandemic conditions may not be desirable for everyone. This study aims to inform the development of post-pandemic landscape architecture office policies regarding flexible work, commuting and teleworking by investigating conditions before and during the pandemic. Focused on the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area in Southern Ontario, Canada, the study employs semi-structured interviews with early-career landscape architects and managers, and finds that while some in-person office norms remain important, work can also be done well from home. Participants’ experiences were also influenced by factors like mobility modes, access to housing, and the job market. These findings led to the development of a list of seven preliminary recommendations to inform future office policy.