A new survey from Office Space in Town (OSiT) claims that the overwhelming majority of workers are looking forward to a return to the office. However, most also want to avoid the commute, have more control over their times and places of work and want new working environments that help them work better. They also have concerns that the return should be managed with their health and safety the priority.
The survey claims that 95 percent of workers would favour a return to the office following the development of a vaccine. With 70 percent of respondents working from home, 64 percent reported that their companies did not offer practical guidance to ensure that employees’ homes are compliant with typical health and safety rules, prompting longer-term health concerns.
A further 29 percent reported a lack of suitable equipment as a disadvantage to home working, corresponding with research from the British Council for Offices which has reported a significant increase in musculoskeletal complaints, including just under 60 percent of respondents reporting neck pain, as well back pain (55 percent) and shoulder complaints (56 percent).
The OSiT survey findings highlight the potential negative impacts of remote working on their wellbeing. Nearly a third (29 percent) of respondents felt that loneliness was the biggest downside to working from home, whilst a further 25 percent reported feelings of anxiety. A large portion of respondents also cited a lack of ability to ‘unplug’ from work (37 percent) as a major disadvantage.
Despite fewer than 8 percent of respondents currently working from their normal office, the survey found that only 5 percent of workers want to be working remotely on a full-time basis once a vaccine is developed. Of the 95 percent that do want to return to the office, the majority expressed a preference for greater flexibility in working hours (59 percent).
A wishlist
The findings also claim to have uncovered a ‘Worker Wishlist’ of steps for returning to work safely and confidently. With two-thirds of respondents expressing concern over contamination, over 60 percent agreed that extra cleaning measures would make them feel more comfortable. Other measures include social distancing markers (52 percent), the availability of face masks and gloves (52 percent), hand sanitiser available at all desks (50 percent), and sneeze screens (36 percent).
The survey additionally identified a number of benefits of home working. Some 72 percent of respondents agreed that avoiding their commute was the main benefit of working from home and 54 percent agreed that they can spend more time with their family. These results correspond with data from OSiT’s 2019 Commuter Survey, in which 55 percent of workers feel that their commute impacted their time with family.