What do Your Remote and Lone Workers Want - When They Return to Work in 2021
Table of Contents
Introduction
What employees are saying
what are your worker’s safety needs?
The importance of communication
The importance of safety policies
what do your workers want?
The safety needs of your team can be complicated and sometimes costly. But as the employer, it is your responsibility to provide everything possible to protect your staff who, in some cases, maybe putting their safety at risk to do their job. Include the added layer of COVID-19 protection and the requirements of your workers become significantly more challenging and complex as you are now looking at not only safety and mental health needs, but what is essential to increase remote work and considerations around new social distancing guidelines.
What employees are saying
In spite of the many complexities they are facing, employers are doing a good job of making their workers safe when returning to the workplace. According to a recent American Staffing Association Workforce Monitor online survey, nearly 80% of employees are satisfied with their employers' return-to-work plans after the pandemic. The survey also tells us that most employees are satisfied with office cleanliness protocols at 85%, remote/telework policies at 82%, communications about the pandemic at 81%, benefits such as paid and sick leave at 80%.
What are your workers’ safety needs?
The needs of every workplace are different, but in regards to COVID-19, the survey also found out what the most important safety measures are for workers:
Social distancing measures (e.g., signage, plan for communal areas, reduced number of staff in workplaces at a time, etc.): 53%
Detailed cleaning protocols: 46%
Covid-19 testing offered to employees: 44%
Personal protective equipment required (i.e., masks): 44%
Temperature/symptom screening: 43%
The importance of communication
This might be an obvious one, but we cannot stress the importance of regular, meaningful communication enough. Unless you conduct a staff-wide survey, you will not know the needs of your team unless you consistently talk to them and ask them questions about their safety. A workplace where staff feel comfortable to openly talk about safety issues is a much more secure one, creating a culture that will satisfy their needs even if they aren’t aware of it at the time.
The importance of safety policies
It is obvious that new cleanliness protocols and health benefits are a must when returning to a post-pandemic workplace. But having well-planned safety policies are almost equally as important. Now, strictly enforced remote work policies may not be on the top of your team’s list of needs, but if you communicate and show the value of these policies, they should soon be on board. To help you, the American Staffing Association has released its Safely Back to Work Best Practice Protocols to improve worker safety in a pandemic and post-pandemic world.
What do your workers want?
While surveys like the one above can provide us with a general idea of what staff want and need, it is ultimately up to the employer to constantly communicate with their team, asking them about their feelings and thoughts on safety, gradually building thought-out policies and a safety culture that best suits their organization. This could mean a contact-tracing tool or touch-free door handles or a lone worker safety app. As mentioned before, engaging and regular communication is key to effectively satisfying your team’s unique safety needs and wants.