MUMBAI: As the country prepares itself for easing of the lockdown, a survey has revealed that 93 per cent of employees are anxious about returning to office as they feel their health will be compromised.
"An overwhelming 93 per cent of employees are anxious to return to office. Their fear is on account of their health being compromised," said a survey commissioned by health-tech community product FYI and conducted by MindMap Advance Research.
The new normal of a post-pandemic world has raised the expectations that employees have from employers towards their health as an overwhelming 99 per cent of respondents said they would like to see a system of Corporate Health Responsibility (CHR) made mandatory for employers, just like Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the survey revealed.
This survey was done in the last week of April 2020 with 560 India Inc employees across small, medium and large enterprises in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
It also revealed that 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.
The survey found that these expectations are based on a recognition among employees that the safety measures would require them to participate in their employer's efforts to make their health a priority.
About 82 per cent said they would agree to participate in measures that require them to be monitored, while 18 per cent said they would comply if the privacy of their data was assured.
A high sense of solidarity and doing the right thing by their co-workers emerged strongly among employees, with 96 per cent confirming that they would embrace and comply with health monitoring initiatives, despite the inconvenience, it added.
Further, the survey said employees expect the new normal to bring changes and are cognizant of what these could be.
About 81 per cent said that employees would resume work only in batches, while 73 per cent expect employers to enforce work from home as an ongoing process, it added.
As COVID-19 has left all of India Inc's professionals anxious on several accounts a majority, 59 per cent respondents said they are concerned about their health, 25 per cent are anxious about their financial situation, while 16 per cent feared that the crisis will be a prolonged one and this uncertainty leads to high anxiety, it said.
"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.
"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," said FYI Cofounder Yeishan Goel.