Even after being home for nearly four months, 79% people are apprehensive about the thought of going back to work at their regular workplace and that 59% people are happy working from home, a survey by Wakefit revealed.
According to a recent survey, 77% of employees said their companies have allowed complete work from home till the situation normalises. In view of the uncertain times, 57% of respondents said their companies are communicating the status of working from home on a month-to-month basis.
In an attempt to assimilate data around the state of wellness among the Indian workforce, sleep and home solutions company Wakefit.co, released the second edition of its annual work wellness survey on Thursday. The data points towards intriguing trends, highlighting both precautionary measures by companies while also bringing pertinent concerns felt by employees.
Speaking of how working from home was going for them, 45% of people felt drowsiest just after lunch and working from home has allowed 47% of people to take a power nap in the afternoon. And if they had to stay up for a meeting or so, a majority of people (34%) loved the liberty of access to caffeine. Furthermore, respondents were happy with the ergonomics at their workplace.
At home, on the other hand, a majority of respondents (37%) shuffled their workstation between different places in the house through the day. 24% of people working from home worked on their beds, while 27% said they had a dedicated workspace at home. Unhealthy sitting habits while working from home like mobile workstations and lying down and working have caused an increase in back pain among respondents, with 76% complaining of it, the survey found.
The survey, which garnered about 2000 responses from across India, also revealed that the percentage of people eager to resume work was significant at 41%. This was especially higher in the 45-60 age group, with 53% preferring to go to work. However, apprehensions persisted, with 60% of people not showing complete confidence in the safety and sanitisation measures followed by employers. Concerns such as additional workload in the post-COVID era (72%) and fear of commuting to work (68%) also troubled the survey respondents.
When asked about steps that would help ease their worries, 40% said ensuring appropriate physical distancing measures was their top wellness priority. The survey also found that employees wanted clear communication of safety measures enforced (68%) and transparency in workload, salary, job security etc. (68%), as they feel this would help reduce stress levels. As employers struggle to create high-performing virtual and physical environments, safety and transparency will be essential factors in driving success.
“While the corona-induced lockdown has increased restlessness among people working from home, we have found that a lot of people are still hesitant to return to normal working conditions, for fear of infections and the constant rise of cases in India. We have always believed the best course of action in a situation like this is to be honest with employees and keep them in the loop of every important announcement.” said Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Director and Co-founder, Wakefit.co.