Smartway2 Study Uncovers Worker Concerns about Health, Safety, Flexibility\
A survey conducted by Smartway2, a leading provider of workspace scheduling solutions, found that, with 44% of polled employees reluctant to return to the workplace during COVID-19, organizations need to do more to assuage their concerns about health, safety and flexibility.
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“Right now, workplaces are competing with the home office and in order to attract employees to return, organizations not only need to provide a safe environment, but also more flexible ways of working”
Health risks are top of mind for 38% of respondents, and nearly one-third (27%) worry about employee non-compliance to safety procedures. There also are fears that collaboration and interaction with colleagues will be constrained, and that they will have less flexibility to deal with family issues, childcare and other needs.
“Right now, workplaces are competing with the home office and in order to attract employees to return, organizations not only need to provide a safe environment, but also more flexible ways of working,” said John T. Anderson, Smartway2 CEO. “It’s time to rethink what the office will look like, how it will be configured and how resources can be shared, in order to improve employee experience and productivity. Technology can help get them there.”
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Nearly one-third (29%) of employees have returned to the office and 45% more will return within the next six months, according to the survey. Companies realize they need to adapt the workplace to address the realities of the new normal.
“In addition to health and safety practices – such as sanitizing, health checks, social distancing and contact tracing – many organizations are implementing hybrid home-office work options and more employee-friendly work practices,” said Anderson. “According to our survey, over 75% of workers believe the pandemic has accelerated their organizations’ shift to more agile, flexible and autonomous work environments. This shift can help us emerge from the pandemic with better ways of working and happier employees.”