  {"id":893,"date":"2025-08-28T01:28:33","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T05:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/?p=893"},"modified":"2025-10-10T04:16:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T08:16:59","slug":"in-office-completely-remote-or-somewhere-in-between","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/in-office-completely-remote-or-somewhere-in-between\/","title":{"rendered":"In-office, completely remote, or somewhere in between?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull blog-template-header has-neutral-100-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--16)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div style=\"--bb--crumb-gap:.4em;\" class=\"blog-template-breadcrumb wp-block-employmentherocom2025-breadcrumb-block\"><nav 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somewhere in between?<\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-query wp-block-hosts-query has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-query-is-layout-1 wp-block-query-is-layout-constrained\"><ul data-wp-interactive=\"eh-hosts\" class=\"wp-block-post-template is-layout-flow wp-container-core-post-template-is-layout-1 wp-block-post-template-is-layout-flow\"><li data-host-index=\"0\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.openDetail\" class=\"wp-block-post post-152 hosts type-hosts status-publish hentry\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-sm-font-size is-vertical is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><h6 class=\"has-text-align-center has-link-color wp-elements-c7558c1c9e2b60b85b89e09ed14c4c61 wp-block-post-title has-text-color has-violet-500-color has-sm-font-size\">Jessica Johnson<\/h6><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-meta-row is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sm-font-size\" style=\"border-left-color:var(--wp--preset--color--neutral-700);border-left-width:1px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\">Published<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date has-sm-font-size\"><time datetime=\"2025-08-28T01:28:33-04:00\">Aug 28, 2025<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-sm-font-size\" style=\"border-left-color:var(--wp--preset--color--neutral-700);border-left-width:1px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\">Updated<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date__modified-date wp-block-post-date has-sm-font-size\"><time datetime=\"2025-10-10T04:16:59-04:00\">Oct 10, 2025<\/time><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"has-sm-font-size\" style=\"border-left-color:var(--wp--preset--color--neutral-700);border-left-width:1px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull blog-image-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized blog-template-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/07\/In-office-completely-remote-or-somewhere-in-between-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"In-office, completely remote, or somewhere in between?\" class=\"wp-image-3939\" style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;object-fit:cover;width:864px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:66px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sticky-side-panel is-vertical is-content-justification-stretch is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-13 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-2 is-position-sticky\">\n<p class=\"has-lg-font-size\" style=\"border-bottom-color:var(--wp--preset--color--neutral-200);border-bottom-width:0.1rem;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4)\"><strong>Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"content-single-table-content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<div id=\"content-wrapper\" class=\"wp-block-group content-wrapper has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-14 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4)\">\n<p>For those of you who have been working remotely for the past year or so, your work environment might be about to change. Your company is likely starting to have those preliminary conversations about returning to the office in one capacity or another. Whether you\u2019re chatting about finally having in-person breaks with your coworkers, flexible work environment options with your manager, or answering surveys for the HR and senior leadership teams, it\u2019s hard&nbsp;<em>not<\/em>&nbsp;to have those conversations and constantly think about all of the questions surrounding the great return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Do you want to go back to the office? Would you like to have the option to choose between in-office and remote work? Who do you have to convince to keep your current work arrangements?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/2g2ckk18vixp3neolz4b6605-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Legers-North-American-Tracker-May-31st-2021-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new study by Leger360<\/a>&nbsp;shows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>20% of Canadians want to return to the office<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>40% of Canadians prefer a hybrid approach<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>19% of Canadians would be willing to go to the office when needed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>19% of Canadians want to work remotely<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As you start or continue to think about your workspace and how it will evolve, we\u2019ve put together an extensive perks and considerations list to explore the different options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Go remote, forever<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Perks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Flexibility for employees<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees can experience better work-life engagement when working remotely. This is one of the most common reasons why people may prefer to work from home. They\u2019re able to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create a workspace that\u2019s best suited for them (brightness level, amount of space, white noise)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scheduling quick calls that aren\u2019t necessarily related to work but important (i.e. medical appointments)&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take breaks when needed without fear of judgement&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Goodbye commuting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>64% of respondents in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.narcity.com\/going-back-to-work-heres-why-canadians-dont-want-to-go-back-to-in-person-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leger360\u2019s study<\/a>&nbsp;said they want to save money on gas or transportation. With commuting being out of the picture, your employees can save hundreds of dollars in transportation costs each month. Not to mention, this saves people a lot of time and is great for the environment!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Expanding the talent pool<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Being in-person in one space is no longer a requirement which means you can essentially hire anyone, anywhere. Removing pre-existing geographical constraints greatly widens your pool of candidates. If you choose to do this, consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reviewing your employment contracts to ensure the provincial, territorial, or state requirements abide by the appropriate local legislation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reviewing your contracts, company-wide policies, benefits, and payroll (company tax implications and personal tax implications)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Communication expectations and etiquette with regards to differing time zones<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Providing sponsorship for candidates employed outside of your company&#8217;s country who may want to relocate to the location of your head office in the future<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Read more:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/resources\/remote-work-policy\/\">Remote work policy guide for employers (with free template)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Build deeper relationships<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re working from home, you can feel a little more comfortable. This can make it easier for you to have more personal conversations with your team as they\u2019re likely feeling more comfortable too. Almost all of us have experienced our pet or a coworker\u2019s pet walking across the screen or in the background and that tends to start a lot of conversations! Situations like this offer an opportunity to connect on topics that might not come up in-person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No meeting space, no problem<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you remember when you had to have three calendars open for a two-person meeting? One for you, one for the other person, and one for the meeting room? With remote work, you only have to juggle two calendars since your meeting space is a virtual one. There\u2019s no need for you to take meetings earlier or later due to lack of meeting space.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Considerations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sharing isn\u2019t always caring<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Not all employees have the luxury of creating an office space that\u2019s quiet, has great internet access for virtual meetings, and without distractions. This can impact employee productivity and engagement, causing them stress about their job security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fewer social interactions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This is arguably one of the aspects of working in-office that employees miss the most. Many of us have built relationships with our coworkers that wouldn\u2019t have been possible without being in the office. Without a solid working relationship, employees can feel hesitant or uncomfortable when asking questions or for help, not feel like they\u2019re part of the team (especially for those who joined a new company during the pandemic), and experience less opportunities for sharing spur of the moment experiences.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cYou\u2019re frozen\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the biggest frustrations working remotely is having access to good internet. There\u2019s a ton of reasons for this: residing in rural regions, bad weather, living in a condo with shared networks, etc. Beyond virtual calls, if you\u2019re working on a document that\u2019s saved on the cloud, you might lose some of your work. To help mitigate this, some companies have paid for portable WiFi options like wireless internet sticks or wireless hotspots. To see if this is possible for you, check your employment contract as some companies will require you to have a strong internet connection, fit with everything else you need to do your job effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Start-stop conversations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo, no you go first.\u201d \u201cNo, seriously, it\u2019s okay, you go.\u201d After all, what\u2019s a virtual call without some awkwardness? While this could be a funny moment for some employees, others who aren\u2019t as comfortable with the person they\u2019re talking to or in larger groups can feel a lot of pressure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Head back to the office<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Perks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Building relationships<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Being in-person typically gives more face-time between your employees and their coworkers and the senior management team. It\u2019s a great way to network and build relationships that encourage collaboration associated with spontaneous idea building.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And for employees who are onboarding, it\u2019s much easier to meet the whole team in one space and develop relationships quickly. They may even feel more comfortable approaching others to strike up conversations as opposed to sending an instant message or email.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Less screen time<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For some, being in the office means taking breaks with coworkers or a quick walk to your favourite coffee shop or restaurant. As a result, employees may spend their breaks a little differently and avoid screen fatigue while still having the ability to socialize over lunch or after work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In-office perks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Some companies offer free coffee, snacks, or even catered meals. Others dedicated rooms for games like ping pong and foosball or yoga and meditation. Being in-office means you can have these perks again. After all, who doesn\u2019t enjoy some delicious food or beverages covered by their employer or access to a space where they can share common interests?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Physically separate work and home spaces<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a physical change between spaces can make a huge difference for employees who aren\u2019t able to completely unplug when they\u2019ve signed off. This puts them at risk for burnout due to feeling like there\u2019s a constant need to check and answer messages or think about work after hours.&nbsp; Different spaces can also be beneficial for those who are living in a shared space to minimize distractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Potential for more efficient meetings<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re sharing common meeting spaces, you\u2019re restricted to the time slots that you\u2019ve booked. This encourages employees to come to meetings with set agendas and clear objectives. There\u2019s also a smaller risk of meetings going over the slotted time as employees would be more cognizant of coworkers who have booked the space after their meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Considerations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Employees may feel less autonomous<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Many employees feel that when they\u2019re in the office, they\u2019re being watched because their managers are physically present. Employees may feel that their employers are watching their screens and feel pressured not to take breaks or have conversations unrelated to work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees also have more restricted schedules when they\u2019re working in the office. For example, employees will no longer be able to easily pop out for an appointment and log back into work but rather take a half-day and head home afterwards.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Commute<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re walking, biking, driving, or taking public transit, commuting inevitably adds more time and cost to your getting-to-work routine when you\u2019re expected to be in the office. This can be stressful for some, especially when there are morning meetings. Often, we can\u2019t control traffic or subway malfunctions, resulting in delays and potentially arriving late for an important commitment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, employees who have avoided public transit for the last 16 months now have to face the reality of being within close proximity of others. This can cause a lot of anxiety around whether or not it\u2019s even safe to be around people as we come out of the pandemic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lower productivity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Often, when we talk about returning to the office, we\u2019re excited about the increased social interactions rather than the perks of having a dedicated workspace. For the first period of time your employees are back in office, you may see a decrease in output because everyone\u2019s excited to catch up with one another. This may actually lead to an increase in productivity in the long-run as employees continue to build stronger relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Negative impact on hiring and retention<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.talentcanada.ca\/survey-one-in-three-workers-may-quit-if-required-to-return-to-office-full-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">survey of 500 Canadians by Robert Half<\/a>&nbsp;showed that one-third (33%) of professionals who are currently working remotely due to the pandemic were ready and willing to quit their jobs if they were required to return to their office full time. Being flexible with a hybrid or remote-first model allows employees the flexibility and autonomy to choose what works best for them. With being in-office as a&nbsp;<em>need-to-have<\/em>&nbsp;for your company, it can really impact the types of candidates you\u2019ll receive in the hiring pool as well as your employee retention and engagement. To get ahead of this in the interview process, consider talking to your candidates during the interview process and providing transparency around the required work environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Explore the hybrid model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The hybrid approach allows for the best of both worlds but it does come with its challenges. For example, employers would have to come up with additional accommodations for meetings. When some employees are in-office and others are tuning in virtually, meeting leads will need to ensure that they\u2019re ready for both methods in order to run successful and productive meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re still working through our return to office plan. Throughout the process, we\u2019ve been having some great discussions around creating a hybrid model and weighing it against the remote-first model. We believe in flexibility and with employees being hired on or relocating during the pandemic, we want to ensure that our physical and virtual spaces are safe and inclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Read more:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/returning-to-the-office-social-media-roundup\/\">Returning to the office: social media roundup<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\" data-trigger-modal=\"request-a-demo-modal\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\">Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-15 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-link-arrow is-style-link-arrow--3\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-btn-brand-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"\/resources\/?topic%5B0%5D%5B0%5D=Product\">View all<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query blog-3-col-query-loop is-layout-flow wp-block-query-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read about some of the perks and considerations when heading back to the office in a full-time capacity, following hybrid model, or staying remote forever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":3939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_visual_mode":"business","_lite_auth_enabled":false,"_lite_auth_trigger_method":"scroll","_lite_auth_scroll_percent":25,"_lite_auth_click_element_query":"","exclude_from_algolia":false,"reading_time":"7 min read","display_reading_time":false,"download_content_type":"","download_file":"","download_url":"","download_cta_label":"","homepage_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[42,41,37],"resource-type":[30],"topic":[75],"learn_topic":[],"industry":[],"audience":[],"business-size":[],"product-tag":[],"funnel-stage":[],"region":[],"pain-point":[],"persona":[],"content_type":[],"post_features":[],"class_list":["post-893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-covid-19","tag-culture","tag-workplace","resource-type-blog","topic-workplace"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=893"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7827,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893\/revisions\/7827"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"learn_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/learn_topic?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"business-size","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/business-size?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"product-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product-tag?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"funnel-stage","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/funnel-stage?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"pain-point","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pain-point?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_type?post=893"},{"taxonomy":"post_features","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_features?post=893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}