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Peter Watts: Are you in the office this summer?

A woman types on a keyboard.
If you want to set up your laptop on the dock at the cottage or on a picnic table at a campground, who’s to say you can’t, or shouldn’t. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

It’s summertime, and the livin’ is easy. At least, it’s supposed to be.

Some of us who work for a living have no choice but to go to the office in order to do our jobs. Others are quickly realizing that in these days of the digital workplace, work can be done anywhere.

If you want to set up your laptop on the dock at the cottage or on a picnic table at a campground, who’s to say you can’t, or shouldn’t.

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Michael Murphy, vice president of Citrix Systems Canada, talked about this topic on my Alberta Morning News program on Sunday.

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“Employers need their workers to be productive,” he told me. “And they need to ensure that the company’s data is used properly and is cyber secure. Employers are also recognizing that if they are going to retain employees, they may have to ease off on taking attendance in the office.”

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“The digital workplace means that if employees can be productive, it shouldn’t matter if they are moored at a desk in an office.”

I don’t think the demise of the office building is imminent.

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I do think, though, that those employers who are open-minded about how their employees get their work done are going to reap the rewards of not having to re-train new staff on a regular basis.

For me, my work is done for the day. I’m going fishing!

LISTEN: Michael Murphy, vice president of Citrix Systems Canada

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