A new YouGov poll of over 400 office workers currently working from home found that 34% are worried about adjusting to corporate office culture when returning to the workspace.
Additionally, the research found that 59% are concerned about maintaining physical distancing guidelines, and 44% are distressed about hygiene standards.
“As lockdown measures begin to ease, government and business attention is turning to the mammoth task of how, and when, to get employees across the UK safely back to work,” said Chris Moriarty, Director of Insight at the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management, which commissioned the study. “Ensuring cleanliness and distance between colleagues will be high on the agenda – as will managing the implications of a workforce coming out of lockdown under increased levels of stress and anxiety.”
In order to ease inevitable anxieties, contactless technology could play a huge role in gaining the trust of workers again. Using tools such as automatic doors and elevator buttons, as well as data tracking to keep workspace less dense could allow occupants much safer when returning to the office.
Raj Krishnamurthy, CEO of Freespace by Workplace Fabric, adds that transitioning back into the office can be done through an on-demand approach. For instance, Freespace uses live digital signage to ensure that areas have been sanitized in order to ease the minds of anxious employees. Using the Cleanreader, a cleaning operative can scan a desk or meeting room and identify which areas have been cleaned.
