A new study commissioned by a leading intelligent learning platform has revealed that more than two thirds (67%) of workers in the UK feel ‘disconnected’ from their colleagues and four fifths (80%) have spoken to their manager once in the last 10 days.
Additionally, half admit (49%) this is having a negative impact on how they view their job, and a third (32%) say it’s having a negative impact on their mental health.
The research, compiled by HowNow, asked 3,000 remote workers from the UK how they were feeling about the prospect of returning to workplaces, now the government is easing restrictions and what they thought had changed since moving to a work-from-home system last year.
More than three quarters (77%) of respondents stated they were ‘nervous’ about returning to the office.
When asked why they were feeling nervous about returning to the office, almost two fifths (39%) are nervous to interact with colleagues again in person, less than a third (31%) are worried about commuting, and a fifth (19%) are concerned about their physical appearance.
A report from Microsoft Surface and YouGov at the beginning of 2021 discovered that more than four fifths (87%) of employees reported their businesses have adapted to hybrid/remote working, HowNow’s survey results show that the majority of remote workers (79%) would prefer to continue working from home in some capacity, with just 5% answering they’d like to return to a work space full time.
HowNow also asked respondents what they thought could be done in order to help remote workers with the transition back into the office. More than two thirds (68%) said that a staggered approach, with selected days in the office and others at home, would most help, while a fifth (21%) stated that regular virtual social catch ups prior to a return to the office would be most beneficial for them.
HowNow is the intelligent learning platform, which helps organisations build skills and work smarter by connecting them with the knowledge they need, when they need it, everywhere they work.
Nelson Sivalingam, CEO and Co-Founder of HowNow, said: “At HowNow, our mission has always been to give people the right skills, knowledge and mindset to succeed in their role and career. However, with the UK reaching a full-year of working from home and office returns creeping onto the horizon, those three things are bound to have been affected.
“That’s why we decided to commission this survey, to get a true feel for how employees view the WFH anniversary and eventual return to the office.
“And what should give leaders hope is that the two key themes are issues they can tackle right now. Currently, a lot of people are feeling disconnected from colleagues and looking ahead, there are understandable concerns about returning to ‘normality’. From introducing virtual socials for this final stretch to managing the office return, now is the perfect moment to evaluate and take action.”
Full details of the study can be found here: https://gethownow.com/blog/return-to-work-report/
