How do employees feel?
The world has not quite moved on from COVID-19 (because, honestly, we may never be completely rid of it); still, we are slowly beginning to return to some semblance of “normal.” And for many workers who have been fully remote/working from home for the past two years, this means physically going back into the office.
As many as 40 percent of employers shifted their employees to fully remote positions during the pandemic. For those employees, the idea of returning to the office full time is predictably met with mixed feelings. One survey found that two-thirds of workers felt uncomfortable about the idea of going back to work in-person. Many are uncertain what things will be like and nervous about how they will manage. And others are plain hating the thought altogether.
Conversely, some workers say they feel they can be more productive at the office or have really been missing personal interactions with coworkers and are glad to be going back to work in person.
Why employees are concerned
It’s no surprise that one of most workers’ top concerns is health and COVID. After all, throughout this working-from-home time, they have been in complete control of their physical location and association with others, and therefore their potential exposure to the disease.
They also may not completely trust their coworkers to be safe and smart, which is to say that they fear their colleagues might not take the same level of precautions as they themselves are. Thirty percent say they worry their coworkers will not follow health and safety protocols.
And while case numbers are falling in some areas and many Americans are vaccinated and boosted, there are other regions where COVID infections are on the rise. In addition, new, more highly transmissible variants continue to evolve.
What this means is that employees who cite COVID as a major worry regarding returning to work in person may be justified in their concerns.
They are worried about more than “just” COVID
Some employees have just developed a preference for working remotely, especially parents and caregivers. They like the freedom and flexibility they get with working at home and being able to address both their responsibilities at home and at work, often at the same time.
At the same time, small but growing number of workers say they literally cannot return to work, because at some point over the last two years they have moved out of commuting range of their employers’ physical location.
Childcare is another big concern. Daycare is expensive – in some cases the monthly bill is more than a mortgage payment. So, the decision for many employees who are being forced by leadership to return to work will be a tough one: Do they work for peanuts after a sizable portion of earnings go to pay for childcare, or do they quit and earn nothing, but be able to stay home with their kids?
Still another drawback about going back to work in person is the commute. Some have a long trip to and from work, so they are weighing not just the extra time they will be giving up (unpaid) but also the financial cost of filling up their gas tank or paying for public transit.
And some people just feel like they’ve been able to maintain a better work-life balance while working remotely. They have found extra time to start hobbies, be more physically active, prepare better meals at home, spend more time with family, and catch up on long overdue projects and home repairs.
What employers can do
As an employer, if you really need your workers to come back to the office in person, you will have to find ways to face your employees’ concerns head on, or they will look for employment elsewhere.
Here are some ideas to address the concerns we have mentioned:
- Provide safety and PPE – Masks, thermometers, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, testing kits. These are all things an employer can think about providing or covering the costs of for employees returning to work.
- Implement policies – Limit the number of people in certain spaces, enforce social distancing, develop cleaning protocols. Encourage – and do not penalize – sick employees or those with sick household members to stay home.
- Offer fully remote or hybrid opportunities.
- Create staggered shifts or arrival/departure times.
- Require vaccines or provide routine testing for all employees.
- Make considerations for childcare. Provide on-site childcare if possible or offer childcare benefits. If nothing else, respect your workers’ need to come in late, leave early, take time off or work a modified schedule to accommodate their children.
These elements, and others, will become part of your company’s return to work plan.
If you would like assistance in developing your company’s return to work plan and/or communicating the plan with your employees, let us know!
Beverly Hathorn Consulting can help you identify and address your workers Fears and Concerns, to bring them back to work and keep everyone happy and healthy.
Click here to visit us online, or call us today at (888) 272-7711!