Fear for the office emerges as Covid sufferers are reluctant to return
More than a year after the first Covid-19 lockdown, a new trend is emerging among Brits who have been working from home, a genuine fear for the office, according to a new study shared with City PM
Amongst Brits that now work from home, this trend is more prevalent among those who previously tested positive for Covid-19, with only 34 per cent planning on returning to the office, according to the data provided by Canada Life. This compares to 69 per cent of those who have not suffered from the virus.
The data highlights that despite the potential for continued immunity, those who have experienced Covid-19 are more reluctant to return to work face-to-face.
“Employers are likely to have three cohorts of employees, one group that cannot wait to return to the office, another that would happily work from home forever and a third that would like a hybrid-model of both,” according to Dan Crook, protection director at Canada Life.
“Ultimately, it’s going to be very hard for employers to please everyone. In reality, the return to the office should be a phased approach. Plans should be flexible as they are likely to evolve over time,” he added.
The firm found that home workers would like their employers to adopt several measures to benefit their mental health, such as mental wellness days (54 per cent), diarised screen breaks (48 per cent), daily mental health check ins (44 per cent), better access to mental health services (42 per cent) and flexible working hours (40 per cent).