Recruiting experts of Hays, has conducted a poll of over 1,400 people globally to find out their concerns around returning to their place of work following the end of lockdown restrictions and the changes they expect to happen in the world of work as a direct result of the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Survey\u2019s findings show that:<\/p>\n
When asked if they were looking forward to going back into the office, 48% of respondents stated they were, while only 25% said they weren\u2019t looking forward to it and 27% said they were indifferent.<\/p>\n
Romania is currently in a period when companies and businesses are returning to operation. A number of new hygienic standards apply, so we cannot call this operation normal, however, companies operate and employees are generally allowed to return to their workplaces on a voluntary basis.<\/p>\n
S\u00e1ndor Bodn\u00e1r, Director of Hays for Romania and Czech Republic, highlights the facts of the survey: With nearly half of those surveyed saying they are looking forward to returning to the office, businesses must make sure their workplace is prepared, with social distancing precautions in place, to ensure they are continuing to prioritise the health and wellbeing of their employees. They must also make sure they are following any local government regulations or guidance. I think it\u2019s also important to acknowledge that just because someone is looking forward to returning to the office, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they are willing to face any perceived risks in returning, such as crowded public transportation services.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n When asked if they had any reservations about returning to the office, 30% said they didn\u2019t want to risk potential infection. Meanwhile, 18% of respondents stated they didn\u2019t have any concerns about returning, 17% said they weren\u2019t looking forward to their commute and 16% thought they had been more productive at home. Only 13% said they didn\u2019t want to disrupt their new work life balance and 5% said they have other commitments which mean they must remain at home.<\/p>\n When asked about how they thought their world of work will change as a result of the pandemic, 33% said they expect there to be more flexibility to work remotely. While 19% said they expect there to be fewer face-to-face meetings, 17% expect budgets to be cut and 11% expect the workforce to be smaller and a further 11% expect their priorities to change. Only 5% thought there wouldn\u2019t be any changes and 3% expect their workload to be lighter.<\/p>\n Commenting on the results, S\u00e1ndor Bodn\u00e1r from Hays: \u201cWe can expect some big changes in this new era of work versus the world we left behind just a few short months ago, some that aren\u2019t even obvious yet. In a lot of ways, the pandemic has advanced how we work by a number of years and some of these changes we can certainly expect to remain. Again, it\u2019s up to business leaders to be clear with their employees on the changes they can expect and how they will affect them. There are many considerations for businesses if they plan on permanently implementing some of these changes, such as inclusion when they are managing a hybrid workforce with a mix of office based and remote workers.\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n