CIO OPINION
Just as transmission rates varied across regions , so did approaches to handling the crisis . In turn , the sentiment of the public and their willingness to return to site varied .
In Europe , following the first wave of the pandemic , the UK workforce were the most reluctant to return to site with only a third ( 34 %) of white-collar employees back at their desks by mid-July , according to Morgan Stanley ’ s research unit AlphaWise . At the same time , 83 % of French office staff had returned and 76 % in Italy .
In South Africa , according to a survey by Michael Page Africa 41 % of workers were provided the freedom of choice to either return to work or work remotely . The remaining 59 % of workers who were expected to return to work could be broken down as follows : 16 % were asked to return to their workplace for between one to four days per week , 19 % were asked to return full time and 24 % were given options on their return .
The gap between the UK and its European counterparts was attributed in part to general distrust following mixed messages and changing regulations . Business leaders in turn had to interpret this information and make their own decisions on return to work strategies – perhaps leading to more cautionary approaches . That ’ s not to mention of course the convenience of homeworking and a growing preference for hybrid working models .
While it may be a more pertinent point for some nations rather than others , the importance of trust when leading through a crisis cannot be understated – particularly in this instance when the decision to work from home or onsite impacts employee and community welfare . Amid this pandemic and now in the second and third waves of lockdowns throughout Europe , business leaders are being called upon to make not just business-critical decisions , but human-centric decisions that inspire faith in our ability to work safely . Nothing right now is more important than our health and wellbeing and that of our loved ones .
During times of uncertainty , trusted relationships with employees foster strength and resilience . In fact , fresh research from Accenture highlights trust as ‘ the new currency at work ’. It enables businesses to create supportive cultures and grow business while helping the wider community . Looking to the impact of the pandemic , the stats speak for themselves . Prior to the pandemic , 35 % of CXOs fully embraced the responsibility to support people ’ s holistic needs . Just six months later , this has grown to represent 50 % of CXOs .
Keeping faith with tangible , datadriven insights
The question uniting all businesses in these unprecedented times is how to regain or indeed strengthen trust – providing comfort to employees and steadying business foundations . When fighting an invisible virus and being inundated with conflicting information from a variety of sources and organisations , people need something tangible to grasp onto – particularly when it comes to returning to
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