Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

CoronavirusLatest NewsEmployee communicationsEmployee engagementProductivity

Productivity has not suffered due to coronavirus

by Jo Faragher 5 May 2020
by Jo Faragher 5 May 2020 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Employees have managed to remain productive in most organisations despite the challenges posed by coronavirus, according to a survey by Willis Towers Watson.

The rewards consultancy found that, even though more than two-thirds of companies had more than 75% of employees working remotely, 85% felt they had the technology, tools and resources needed to work productively for an extended period of time.

Just over half (56%) had less than a tenth of the workforce working remotely before the lockdown restrictions.

HR’s response to coronavirus

HR and coronavirus survey: six weeks into lockdown

Only 15% of companies surveyed said that remote working had had a material negative impact, while 22% said there had been a small negative impact. A further 22% said there had been no impact on productivity and a third was not sure.

Almost all (98%) of employers are in regular communication with staff to keep them updated and engaged, while 85% have implemented a virtual or social engagement initiative. Almost 90% had put in place measures to make employees feel supported.

Twenty-two percent had increased training opportunities for staff, but 49% said they were planning on making changes to performance management targets to reflect the unusual situation.

The poll of about 1,000 employers across the UK and Western Europe found that more than eight in 10 had no end date planned for the current remote working arrangements.

“It has been an incredibly challenging time for many businesses as we navigate uncharted waters and take part in what has become the world’s largest work-from-home experiment,” said Hazel Rees, GB leader for Willis Towers Watson’s rewards business.

“Technology has been a saving grace during this crisis, helping to keep productivity levels up, while organisations with a greater online presence have been able to continue more effectively and in some cases even thrive.”

She added that employers’ response to the coronavirus had been a “defining leadership moment” for many. “The employers that take strong action to put people first will be the best positioned to enhance employee wellbeing and engagement, restore stability and achieve future business success.”

Looking forward, Willis Towers Watson’s survey also found that 64% of respondents though there would be a large or moderate negative impact on business over the next six months; 51% thought this would be the case over the next 12 months; reducing to 17% who thought the negative influence would last for two years.

Separately, a survey by XpertHR of how employers are coping six weeks into lockdown found that employee morale remains strong. One in three (32.2%) thought employee engagement was now higher than it was before the pandemic, while just under half (49.2%) thought there had been no change. Only 18% felt it had fallen, the survey revealed.

  Performance and Engagement opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more performance and engagement jobs

Jo Faragher
Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
TUC and CBI offer contrasting views of draft return to work guidance
next post
One in four employees furloughed

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Employees resigning in 2022: Survey shows ‘great resignation’...

24 May 2022

Tube strike on 6 June to see 4,000...

24 May 2022

Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022,...

24 May 2022

The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls

24 May 2022

Top 10 metrics HR leaders are using today...

24 May 2022

Interim advice published on Covid autumn boosters

23 May 2022

Hybrid working trends: ONS data on where people...

23 May 2022

Aspers casino cashier excluded by colleagues wins £75k...

23 May 2022

NHS should upskill admin staff to reduce waiting...

23 May 2022

Pay gap between CEOs and employees set to...

23 May 2022
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+