Remote work offers flexibility, but at what cost to learning opportunities for young workers?

Remote work can provide flexibility, but it can also reduce opportunities for informal interaction with colleagues. (Unsplash+) Remote work offers flexibility, but at what cost to learning opportunities for young workers? Published: August 31, 2026 2.54pm EDT Share article Print article Six years after the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to remote work, hybrid and remote arrangements have become an established part of the labour market. About one in five Canadians now works remotely some or all of the time. For many employees, this shift has brought greater autonomy and flexibility. Time previously spent commuting can instead be spent with family or friends. Research has also found that hybrid work can improve employee retention without sacrificing performance. These benefits, however, may not be experienced equally. Remote and hybrid work may be particularly difficult for employees who are at the beginning of their careers, when much of their professional development still depends on learning from experienced colleagues. Our new report, “The End of the Water Cooler: The Hidden Cost of Remote and Hybrid Work on Entry-Level Employees,” examines this problem. Much of how we learn is informal Think about your first professional job. Much of what you learned probably didn’t come from an employee handbook. You likely learned by observing those around you. You heard how they approached a problem. Someone pointed out a mistake before it became a larger one. A mentor invited you to a meeting. You asked questions over coffee. You learned who fixed what, who to trust and how things really got done. These are forms of tacit learning: knowledge that is difficult to codify and is often acquired through observation, experience and social interaction. Informal conversations and collaboration are an important part of how employees learn to navigate the workplace. (Unsplash) The workplace has traditionally provided an environment where this learning occurs alongside formal training. Over time, these interactions help employees develop judgment, confidence, professional networks and an understanding of how their organizations operate. A study of software engineers illustrates the importance of proximity. Employees who sat near their teammates received 18.3 per cent more feedback on their code and produced higher-quality code. The gains were concentrated among younger and less tenured employees, who were still building human capital. There is also…