Just under a third of employees are willing to quit their jobs if their workplaces are not made COVID-19 ‘safe’ for when they return.
This was discovered by Protecting.co.uk, a health and safety software company, who discovered that 30 per cent of workers would quit their jobs if their offices have not adapted to curb the spread of the virus. Businesses have been advised by the Government to carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment to make sure their workplace is safe.
It also found that 40 per cent of staff will not return to work without Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Mark Hall, company spokesman at Protecting.co.uk said:
Health and safety is the most important aspect of any workplace, and it’s alarming to hear that over half of all workers would happily return to work despite knowing that their employer hasn’t provided PPE for their safety during this pandemic.
No one should work in an environment that hasn’t been made safe for them to work in, and no one should be made to feel like their health is not important.
The guidelines set out by the Government to make offices COVID-19 friendly are to introduce one-way systems, spaced out desks, an end to hot desking, PPE such as masks and gloves, as well as more cleaning of equipment. Still, more than two-fifths of employees feel anxious about the idea of returning to work following the pandemic regardless.
However, there are those that are more desperate to get back in to work and start earning again as they are less concerned regarding the safety of the workplace.
One worker based in London, named Dave, said:
I’m so desperate to come out of furlough, I don’t care if I wear a mask or not.
Due to this attitude held by frustrated workers, Protecting.co.uk feels the guidelines should be made in to law.
In order to gather these results, Protecting.co.uk spoke to 800 UK employees.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.