Is Safety An Issue? Companies Resume Business As Employees Return To The Office

A study done by Wakefield Research revealed that 68% of employees do not feel comfortable returning to their offices unless certain changes are made to ensure workplace safety. Due to the present circumstances, employees prefer to work within the comfort of their own homes as a means to reduce the risks and shelter in place. However, many companies plan to ask their employees to return as soon as they can, and safety will need to be a top priority.

Keeping Safety A Top Priority

With over 42% of the U.S. working from home full-time, Wakefield Research also found that one in four workers would rather look for a new job if necessary safety protocols were not implemented. In fact, 29% of working professionals say they would quit their jobs if they weren’t able to work remotely, according to LiveCareer. The survey reveals that companies and their employees may be on a collision course as life slowly returns to ‘normal’, as many businesses plan to work remotely even once society has opened up again. As a result, working professionals now expect more flexibility in deciding where and when they work. Without that choice, some will look for other employers that do offer that.

Employers Right To Demand More Safety

With over 1,000 workplace lawsuits in 2020, an estimated 200 cases were related to workplace safety. Employees claimed that businesses lacked the appropriate provisions in PPE, failed to comply with sanitation protocols, or didn’t enforce regular temperature checks, among other accusations. According to Law, employees have the power to fight for higher safety protocols and regulations in the workplace. However, “many facilities have made changes to their procedures but not the building itself,” according to Vimal Kapur, president and CEO of Honeywell Building Technologies. He insists that workers have the right to – and should demand – more from their employers with regard to providing a safer and healthier workplace.

Strategy For Better Health And Safety Protocols

Workplace culture is now the number one driver, followed by security and workplace flexibility. Given the steady economic recovery, countries like Australia have begun to experience a positive outlook on the job market, albeit not without its challenges. As President Biden directs a federal workplace-safety regulator that requires employers to develop a pandemic strategy, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is currently working to set an emergency temporary standard as part of a series of executive orders this week.

So exactly what can employees expect from their companies? How HR leaders handle the conversations around the given safety protocols will be challenging for the next years to come.