The HR body - CIPD - has warned that more consultation by employers is needed to ensure that workers feel safe and confident to return to the workplace.
In July, employers were advised to encourage workers to return to the workplace - if it was safe to do so - and from 1st August the responsibility to determine whether home workers should return to their place of work became the employers.
A CIPD survey of more than 1,000 working adults in the UK indicates that there are employers who are not meeting three important criteria, i.e. whether it is essential to be at work; whether it is safe to be at work and whether it has been agreed with the worker.
The survey found a disturbing lack of consultation with the workers whose concerns about health and safety have not been addressed - only 44 per cent surveyed felt that they had been adequately consulted, whilst 55 per cent stated that they have received adequate information about the return to work, rather than consulted. Only 28 per cent of workers with a disability felt that their concerns had been addressed.
Of the workers already going to the workplace, 26 per cent stated that they are being pressurised to do so and one in five were not satisfied with the health and safety measures their employer had put in place during the pandemic. A further three in ten said they felt anxious about catching or spreading the virus and of those not yet back in the workplace 12 per cent did not trust their employer to provide a safe environment.
More than half of the workers surveyed stated that they were looking forward to returning to their normal workplace - in contrast, 24 per cent disagreed, whilst 45 per cent said they felt anxious about returning. This rose to 57 per cent where the workers had a mental health condition and to 48 per cent where people had a physical health condition.
More than a third of workers were concerned about commuting to work with the number rising to 60 per cent in London.
Melanie Green - Research Advisor at the CIPD - stated:
“Workplaces should only be opening up if it’s essential to the business model, it’s mutually agreed with staff and it’s safe to do so. But our research suggests many employers are failing to meet these three tests.
Employers must ensure they’ve taken all necessary steps to protect their staff against the virus and must not get complacent here. The rise in workplace transmissions over the last few weeks shows how vigilant employers need to be and the level of responsibility on their shoulders.
Our research also raises serious concerns about the impact of the pandemic on people’s mental wellbeing. While some employees may be looking forward to returning to their normal place of work, perhaps because isolation and lack of social connections are taking a toll on their mental health, others are anxious about how safe it is to do so. Some employees’ personal circumstances – whether that is an existing health condition or juggling childcare and work – may also create extra anxiety about returning to work. Employers shouldn’t make assumptions about what’s right for their people.
Greater consultation with staff will help employers to understand people’s concerns, what they can do to put them at greater ease and how they can make the return to work safer and less stressful. People are much more likely to agree to a return to work if they’ve had the opportunity to voice their concerns and work through solutions with their employer.”
