As ‘freedom day’ passes and Boris Johnson concedes that, amid rising infections, the return to workplace should be gradual, research among office workers reveals what employers should be considering to ensure their workplace is ‘Covid-secure’.
More than half (52%) of British people currently working from home say they are ready to return to the office, with the typical office worker wanting to go into the office between two and three days per week, according to a survey for facilities management firm Mitie.
Covid-secure workplaces
Workplace return guidance offers ‘little to dispel confusion’
Two fifths of office workers (43%) admit to now suffering from ‘working from home fatigue’ and are ready to get back to the office. One third (35%) believe their career has been negatively affected by working from home, but this figure is higher (47%) amongst those aged 18 to 34.
But while Mitie’s study, undertaken by OnePoll in July 2021, shows that workers are keen to get back in the office, there remains some hesitance.
More than a third (35%) are concerned their offices are not Covid-secure and 60% think their employer needs to improve the office environment to prevent staff becoming ill in the future.
Jasmine Hudson, group HR director at Mitie, said: “This research shows that clean and safe workplaces are no longer a nice to have – perhaps more than ever, employees value their offices as a place to network, collaborate and support their career development. Businesses that invest in their spaces will not only have happier staff that want to return to the office, but they will also attract the best new talent to come and join their company too.
“It’s important that businesses listen to their colleagues’ concerns and ensure the workplace is a safe environment ready for their return. This can include small gestures like hand sanitiser on desks and free masks, but also investing in technology like systems that use ultraviolet light to kill germs or thermal imaging cameras to detect when people have a raised temperature will go a long way to ensuring colleagues are confident with coming back to the office.”
When asked what measures would make employees feel more confident in returning to the workplace, hand sanitiser at every desk, toilets cleaned more frequently, better ventilation systems, and more space between workstations were top of the list.
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Though most employees are ready to get back to their offices, the study shows that balance is key when it comes to where people want to work. Nearly nine in ten (87%) respondents want a flexible working pattern which allows them to work from home or the office depending on the task, while three quarters (74%) wouldn’t work for a company that didn’t allow them to work flexibly.
Covid-19: The 14 top workplace changes office workers want to see
- Hand sanitiser at every desk
- Toilets cleaned more frequently
- Better ventilation systems
- Better cleaning regime generally
- More space between workstations
- Increased “touch point” cleaning – for example, bannisters and door handles
- Free face masks
- Reduced office and meeting room capacity to allow for social distancing
- One-way systems
- More visible cleaners
- Desk booking apps/systems
- Rules around making drinks for others
- Ultraviolet disinfection systems, which use UV light to kill germs
- Thermal imaging technology to detect when people have a raised temperature.
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