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Bosses and workers split on when WFH should end, new research shows

UK bosses expecting a return of their staff to the office post Lockdown are in for a surprise as almost 4 in 10 employees are “not expecting to return to the office in the foreseeable future” new research released today finds. A survey of 1,119 employees, conducted by Yonder on behalf of Cignpost ExpressTest, found that only 16% of staff expect a full time return to the office when Lockdown ends on June 21st and 40% of those surveyed expect their employers to make a return to the office voluntary.

Other research findings show the gap between employers and employees attitudes on how to return safely to the office post Lockdown:

• Employers are planning on using regular Covid-19 testing and the success of the vaccination programme to bring staff back to the office. 51% of employers expect everyone who has been vaccinated to return to the office and 48% are planning to organise regular Covid-19 testing. • In contrast, 40% of employees are expecting bosses to make a return to the office completely voluntary while half (48%) expect their employer to organise a Covid-19 test before they return to the office • The research shows stark differences between the attitudes of young and older workers: 67% of 18-24 year olds expect employers to organise a Covid-19 test before they return to the office compared to just 38% of 55-64 year olds. Almost half (45%) of 18-24 year olds expect any return to the office to be voluntary compared to a third (34%) of 55-64 year olds. • There are also regional differences: 58% of Welsh workers and 56% of London workers expect a Covid-19 test prior to returning to the office against a third (32%) of those in the South West and 39% in the North East. The research was commissioned by leading Covid-19 testing company Cignpost ExpressTest to understand how prepared UK businesses are for a safe return to the office.

Nick Markham, co-founder of Cignpost ExpressTest, said: “This research shows a significant gap between employers and their employees about how to return to the office in a safe way. Until the threat of Covid-19 has been completely eliminated, it is clear that a programme using PCR testing is going to be a critical part of any plan to safely return people to work. This will be the only way to give both employers and their staff the confidence to come back to the office and be able to work normally again.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nathan Stennett .