The workplace plays an important role in an employee’s life. It’s a place where we can socialise with our co-workers, earn a living, and feel a sense of accomplishment. But lately, with the aftermath of COVID-19, many employees are stuck at home – and some are not happy about it.
According to a 2022 survey about workplace culture – you can view the full results here -, 44% of employees felt that company culture has been affected because of the pandemic and 31% of them revealed that hybrid working was outright harming them. 63% of employees believe that a physical workplace is an important part of their job.
Most employees who responded to the survey said that they would feel more productive in an office environment and that they missed the social interaction that the workplace provides. Even the people above the age of 54, 85% of them consider the physical workplace as a vital part of workplace culture.
Furthermore, after many months of remote working, some employees are eager to return to the office and, in doing so, HR will need to carefully manage the transition to ensure that everyone remains healthy.
One of the most important tools that HR professional teams can use to help with that transitional process of all employees returning to the office is access to software, such as HRIS, as it helps to track employee health and safety data, as well as schedule vaccinations and other health measures.
Having those measures in place is important to ensure that all employees feel safe and happy back at the office, but why might employees miss returning to the office?
The lockdown experience of employees
Today, where technology is constantly changing, it’s no surprise that organisations must change too. The lockdown experience for employees has been a difficult one, especially for the young ones who might have missed out on workplace connections while the lockdown happened and they were really feeling lonely.
They had no friends or family to hang around with, so it’s not surprising that many of them missed their workplaces badly. This has been a difficult change for many, possibly leading people to endure mental health issues.
Additionally, 88% of the workers who lost their jobs were under 35 years old, and 85% of employees under the age of 54 considered the physical workplace as a vital part.
Older workers have also experienced remote working differently from their younger counterparts as they struggle to find employment in this economic climate, where transportation is limited and expensive because of an outbreak.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the way we work. For many of us, the past couple of years have been a crash course in remote working, and it has forced us to re-evaluate the way we organise our workplaces.
Why it is important for Employees to get back to the Workplace?
There are many reasons employees want to get back to the workplace. For many of them, the workplace is like a second home, and employees miss the social interaction that it provides.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put many employees’ health and mental well-being at risk, so it is important to make sure that they are healthy before they return to work. This plan should include physical measures for ensuring employee safety, and the mental well-being of employees should also be taken into consideration.
The transition back to the workplace will not be easy, but it is important to make sure that employees feel safe and supported.
Conclusion
The pandemic was a time of great stress for everyone, and it’s hard to stay motivated when remote at times. The absence of social interaction may have caused mental health issues as well.
The workplace provides a sense of community and belonging, and employees who miss the workplace badly need to feel that they are part of something larger. Ensure that employees feel safe and supported during their return to work by managing the transition carefully.
Founder Dinis Guarda
IntelligentHQ Your New Business Network.
IntelligentHQ is a Business network and an expert source for finance, capital markets and intelligence for thousands of global business professionals, startups, and companies.
We exist at the point of intersection between technology, social media, finance and innovation.
IntelligentHQ leverages innovation and scale of social digital technology, analytics, news, and distribution to create an unparalleled, full digital medium and social business networks spectrum.
IntelligentHQ is working hard, to become a trusted, and indispensable source of business news and analytics, within financial services and its associated supply chains and ecosystems
