Just as we thought we had weaned away from the pandemic, the Covid virus called upon heavy backup. The splashdown of the deadly Delta Variant has been in the headlines and seized the attention of every civilian.
We may say that the working sector has been the most affected by the comeback of Covid-19 as a stronger Delta Variant. The harder companies try to revive their businesses again, the deeper they go back into this queasy quicksand of infections. Almost as if we never came out of 2020!
Is the delta variant spreading fear? A rise in vaccinations
One fact that we can state about living in 2021 is that people around the globe are finally fully aware of vaccinations and their benefits. A proper check system has been established by Employers for their workers.
However, the new delta variant has spread fear within the working community and hence caused some noticeable changes in the line graph. Many employees are taking a wait-and-see approach as the delta spawns new infections. Many believe that Covid has pounced back with greater threats.
Employees resent getting back to work
According to some surveys around the globe, the workforce is resenting returning to offices due to stress. Many employees have been infected in the previous waves of Covid and have taken the infection home to their parents, wives, children, and loved ones. Therefore, this new wave has come with a warning beforehand. Hence, employees are giving a tough time to their employers. According to a report by the BBC, 43 out of 50 of the UK’s biggest employers are not willing yet for a full-time office return.
Bosses, CEOs, and company leaders have no choice but to communicate sincerely with their employees and work their way out. Genuine leadership skills are required to calm the workers down and suppress their growing feelings of stress and anxiety with proper communication between the employers and the employees.
Employers Work Hard To Tempt Workers Back To Offices
Well, we can’t just sit here and do nothing! A few witty business owners have found their way around this mess. Employers have found unique tactics to tempt their workforce back to their offices.
Many large and small enterprises are offering incentives to the employees to provide much-needed motivation to boost their slow-paced productivity.
Empathetic gestures shown by some companies are attracting employers towards back-to-office plans. These gestures include support to the worker by providing childcare facilities, better opportunities, appraisal, etc. A smart move has also been made in the UK as the UK minister smartly tempts the workforce to get back to work with hints of promotions.
So What Do The Workers Want?
Whether we’re talking about the workforces of big and lavish offices or the employees of small startups, every worker is burdened under stacks of anxiety and anticipations of the next dreadful move of this pandemic. A far greater population of depressed employees is found in the tertiary sector where there is a relatively greater spread of infections – such as waiters in restaurants, front desk officers in hotels, retailers, and salesmen in malls: these are the people who demand more than just their monthly pay now.
The delta variant has forced the employees (especially in the frontline) to ask for recognition from their organizations. Employees need appreciation, trust, and honesty from their employers. They need to be heard and recognized as they are asked to work in the pandemic.
For the sake of humanity, it is now the leader’s job to connect with them on a deeper level and facilitate their continued work as much as possible. Along with their physical well-being, employers are also asking for their mental wellness. All of this can only be accomplished by a few vital measures taken by their leaders. To help and save employees’ work dignity, Employers can conduct mental health workshops, as well as employee-led open forums for the purpose of giving recognition to the laborers.
Is hybrid work the new normal?
The forced inception of work from home has now taken the face of a new era of working. After millions of white-collar workers began work from home during the advent of the pandemic, the prevailing conditions have changed the minds and hearts of the employees.
The trend initiated by COVID-19 of meeting by video calls increased by 50% more in 2020, with 70% of full-time workers adapting to the need-of-the-moment solution and began contributing to their offices via working from home. According to the stats shown by a recent flexjobs survey, 65% of respondents want to become full-time remote employees even after the decline of the pandemic, while 31% desire a remote work environment. Therefore, 96% of the respondents are in favor of remote working in one way or another.
A vast majority of companies are operating in hybrid mode. Recently, a Gartner’s survey reflected the mindset of company leaders and found that 80% of the respondents have planned to allow their workers to operate remotely and contribute to the company’s productivity with greater zeal.
Research shows that workers are more satisfied with hybrid or remote forms of working. There are even reports that show that the productivity of companies has increased during work from home. Employees believe that work from home allows them a more comfortable workspace, a peaceful work environment, lesser interruptions, and relief from office politics.
These reports clearly explain that happy employees will work for the betterment of their organization if they are acknowledged and trusted by their leaders under this stressful threat of the Delta Variant and the larger pandemic. We never know how long the new delta variant will prevail, but what we do know is that the workers are expecting a more flexible and comfy work routine than ever.
