93% India Inc. workers stressed about returning to office: FYI Survey

Employees fear on account of their health being compromised and that needs to be managed on priority

As many as 93 per cent corporate employees are anxious to return to office after the lockdown to contain the coronavirus is eased, according to a survey carried out by by health tech community product FYI.

The survey, which assesses the anxiety level of employees, has recorded a strong desire in employees to do what’s right by complying with the new health monitoring guidelines. The survey strongly suggests that employees expect their employers to take responsibility to ensure a healthy and safe environment for them. “They fear on account of their health being compromised,” said the survey.

Covid-19 has left all of India Inc.’s professionals anxious on several counts. While a majority, 59 per cent are concerned about their health, 25 per cent said they are anxious about their financial situation, while 16 per cent fear that the crisis will be a prolonged one and this uncertainty leads to high anxiety.

“It may be an understatement to say that the Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the way we live and work. This event has very quickly served as a tipping point to unprecedented change in the mindset and attitudes of people, to both life and work.

Our survey informs India Inc. of the new priorities they would need to juggle when it comes to the health and safety of their employees,” said Yeishan Goel, co-founder, FYI. “ India Inc. employees are clearly stressed on account of their health and that needs to be managed on priority. Evidence supports the fact that happier and secure employees are more productive and perform their jobs better while those under stress perform worse.”

FYI undertook this survey in the last week of April 2020. Research firm MindMap Advance Research conducted it with 560 India Inc. employees across small, medium and large enterprises in major metro cities of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Of these employees, 85 per cent were male and 15 per cent were female.

The new normal of a post-pandemic world has raised the expectations of employees related to the measures that the employers are taking towards theirhave of their employer towards their health. All employee polled, an overwhelming 99 per cent said that they would like to see a system of Corporate Health Responsibility (CHR) made mandatory for employers, just like there is in force a system of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Nearly 85 per cent expect their employers to sanitize the office space, implement and enforce safety guidelines and advisories and seek out new and innovative ways to protect their health while they are in the office.

Employees are also ready to participate in efforts that employers take to make their health a priority. About 82 per cent said that they would agree to participate in measures that require them to be monitored, while 18 per cent said that they would comply if the privacy of their data was protected. About 81 per cent employees said that employees would resume work only in batches, while 73 per cent expect employers to enforce work from home as an ongoing process.

A post-pandemic world offers employers an opportunity to win the hearts of their employees and customers by deploying stronger solutions for the overall wellbeing of their workforce, said a majority of the respondents. While 81 per cent of employees strongly feel this will be the case, 16 per cent said that this has always been an expectation, regardless of recent events.

Key findings:  Source: FYI Survey

• 99% employees want employers to be held accountable for CHR, akin to CSR
• 85% expect their office spaces to be sanitized before they return
• 83% employees want employers to seek innovative solutions to monitor and safeguard their health
• 96% employees will comply with health initiatives of employers regardless of the inconvenience