In a sweeping survey of employees and business leaders across 11 nations, The Workforce Institute at UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) found only a fraction of employees (20 per cent) felt their organisation met their needs during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is a silver lining: a third of employees globally (33 per cent) say they trust their employer more now than before the pandemic began because of how organisations reacted.
“Hindsight 2020: COVID-19 Concerns into 2021,” commissioned by The Workforce Institute at UKG and conducted by Workplace Intelligence, explored how nearly 4,000 employees and business leaders1 in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. felt about their employer’s initial COVID-19 response and examines the top needs and concerns of the workforce through 2021.
In these uncertain times and as we enter a new period of increased restrictions, there are many employee expectations and concerns that business and HR leaders must address in order to alleviate anxieties around the world of work.
Research found that, according to U.K. workers, less than half of U.K. organisations were prepared to manage through the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (42 per cent) and their organisations made mistakes during the pandemic (44 per cent). However, more than half (53 per cent) of U.K. workers say their organisation went above and beyond expectations during the pandemic.
Looking ahead, less than two thirds (57 per cent) of U.K. workers believe that their organisation will be prepared to manage through another potential spike in cases of COVID-19. With this in mind, the research highlights the following key workplace concerns and expectations.
Communication is key, alongside swift decisions
Globally, the most common complaint about the initial pandemic response is that it was too slow, according to a third (36 per cent) of workers, who wished offices closed faster and safety measures for essential workers were implemented sooner. However, in the U.K., the most common complaints were that workers wished their organisation had acted with more empathy for employees (31 per cent) and communicated sooner and more openly (31 per cent). This was then followed with 28 per cent wishing the response had been quicker.
It’s not all about physical health – mental health is more important than ever
The biggest employee operational concern in the U.K. is balancing their workloads (42 per cent) so they don’t get burned out. With over half of U.K. workers stating that they’ve been working either the same or more hours regularly since the start of the pandemic (51 per cent), it’s imperative that organisations recognise this and respond accordingly. Overall, over half (53 per cent) of U.K. workers say their organisation has taken at least some measures to guard against burnout; this rises to three in five (59per cent) globally.
Overall, organisations are focusing more on ensuring staff do not burn out, which is further reflected in the fact that the top three concerns about operating over the next 18 months in the U.K. are: future redundancies or furloughs due to economic instability (40 per cent), ability to help employees balance workloads to prevent fatigue/burnout (39 per cent), and the ability to offer necessary learning and development opportunities.
Future redundancies are also a concern for employees, with two fifths of U.K. workers (40 per cent) concerned about future redundancies and furloughs due to economic instability created by COVID-19. This is equally a concern in China (44 per cent), Mexico (41 per cent), Canada (40 per cent), and the U.S. (37 per cent), but less of a concern in France (26 per cent) and the Netherlands (27 per cent).
Cleanliness, commuting, and common areas are cause for concern
While 45 per cent of workers worldwide say overall cleanliness is a top concern going forward, they’re equally concerned with using shared common areas like lounges and restrooms (42 per cent) as well as shared workspaces like conference rooms (37 per cent). More than a third of all employees (35 per cent) also voiced concern about passing through high-traffic areas such as lifts, staircases, and waiting rooms.
Physical workplace concerns vary by country: In India and France, the top concern is safely commuting to the workplace (72 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively), while overall cleanliness and sanitation is most worrisome to those in Mexico (60 per cent), Canada (50 per cent), Germany (47 per cent), Australia and New Zealand (46 per cent), the U.S. (44 per cent), and the U.K. (42 per cent). In China, two-thirds (63 per cent) are worried about passing through high-traffic areas while a third of employees in the Netherlands (35 per cent) are nervous about shared common areas.
In terms of person-to-person contact, 46 per cent are concerned about being quickly informed about presumed or confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in the workplace and 43 per cent are concerned about their company’s ability to react quickly to presumed or confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in the workplace.
Only 13 per cent of global employees are worried about movements being tracked at work to fight COVID-19 – including fewer than one in 10 Gen Zers and younger Millennials (8 per cent) – signalling they may recognise the immediate safety benefits in this approach to aid contact tracing.
Dr. Chris Mullen, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, SPHR, executive director, The Workforce Institute at UKG says, “As organisations around the world operate through an unprecedented global pandemic, they need to double down on their employee experience strategy. However, instead of looking for trendy perks, they must get back to the foundational needs every employee requires: physical safety, psychological security, job stability, and flexibility. Among employees who trust their organisation more now than before the pandemic, 70 per cent say the company went above and beyond in their COVID-19 response. By truly putting the employee first, a mutual trust will begin to take hold that will propel employee engagement – and the success of the business – to new levels.”
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