Work from home; some people love it, and some people hate it. Some office workers may be desperate to get back while others may be enjoying time away from annoying staff members.
In fact, there has been a huge decline in Google searches for work-related stress terms, according to Happy Beds’ latest research. So, in terms of wellbeing, perhaps remote working is the way forward for some people.
London Loves Business spoke to five employers to find out how they’re going to be ensuring that the office is as safe as it possibly can be once members of staff start returning.
Jade Thomas, Office Manager at Pure Commercial Finance, talks about staggering the return of employees:
“When the time comes and businesses are asked to return to work, we will do this in a sensible way that isn’t overwhelming. We want to stagger this by asking teams week-by-week, or even bi-weekly, to return to the office, rather than everyone returning on the same day.
Ron Moody, CEO of Connect Assist, is worried about employee commutes:
“We remain mindful and respectful of people’s mental wellbeing, ability to cope remotely and concerns for their own welfare as well as their families’. There’s also the issue of people being able to get to the office safely – public transport is a big factor for some people. How do the implications of public transport and needing social contact go against the fear of public transport during this time?”
It’s important to remember that some employees may be feeling under confident about catching the bus and also driving to work, especially if they have a long commute. While this is a feeling most common in millennials, employees should respect that the commute may be one of the main points turning people off returning to the office right now.
Scott Jones, Managing Director at Illustrate Digital, wants to keep members of staff home for as long as possible, to avoid any possible spreading of viruses:
“Thankfully, we’re just as productive during this time if not more so! Given that, we’re holding out at the moment and in no rush to go back to the office environment. As much as we really love working together in the same place, we value the health of our team and their relatives first and foremost. In other words, we’ll ease our lockdown a little while after the government does and keep working at home for a while longer.”
Deep cleans and social distancing should be adhered off across all office spaces in order to keep members of staff as safe as possible. While deep cleans should now be more frequent than ever, shared spaces, such as the toilets, should be disinfected by every member of staff once used.
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