ROSELAND, N.J., June 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent survey of
workers in the U.S. from the ADP Research Institute reveals
that an initially significant decrease in worker confidence appears
to be leveling off despite the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on
nearly every worker in the U.S. The findings included in the report
titled "A Workplace Redefined: Employee Resilience Amid The
COVID-19 Pandemic" explore employee sentiment regarding
their ability to work from home, how the pandemic affected their
productivity, their confidence about how long they may experience
the effects of the crisis, and how their employer responded to the
pandemic. The survey uncovers that stress levels, work/life balance
and productivity are starting to stabilize rather than continue to
deteriorate week to week. In fact, the majority of workers believe
their financial concern is short term, even for those not working
right now.
Leveraging a weekly online survey to track how work is evolving
due to COVID-19, a random sample of adults aged 18 years and older
and employed in the U.S. as of March 1,
2020 was surveyed each week beginning the week of
March 16, 2020 through May 11, 2020 to understand how they worked before
the pandemic and how things have changed for them since. In total,
more than 24,000 workers were surveyed over the course of eight
consecutive weeks.
Impact on Workers
For workers currently employed, this new "normal" has many working
remotely, forced to adjust to how they get work done. Those
required to work remotely responded that the ability to complete
tasks and connect with others was severely impacted due to
technology issues, lack of necessary equipment to work effectively,
and distractions. In fact, one third identified fears of the virus
were a barrier to productivity, while about 50% cited technology as
a significant obstacle to productivity due to issues with remote
access, internet connection and web meetings. As the weeks went on,
many workers began to report their work/life balance, ability to
complete tasks and connect with others, and personal stress levels
were about the same as the week before, rather than consistently
declining from week to week. However, despite workers' ability to
adapt to new circumstances, the research uncovered that these
markers of productivity do not appear to have returned to
pre-pandemic levels.
As with all aspects of day-to-day life during the pandemic,
employees indicated a substantial amount of uncertainty — as well
as a bit of optimism — regarding their overall outlook. Following
an initial decline in employee job confidence, the research shows
an increase in employees' confidence, with nearly 70% of workers
now expecting to retain their jobs for at least the next month.
Concerns over personal finances appear to be short term as well,
with a majority of workers (58%) expecting their finances to return
to previous levels in less than six months, even for those not
working right now, with very little difference among those who
reported job loss or furlough and those who did not. While some
experienced changes in pay relative to March
1, those changes have begun to reverse in the weeks
following, potentially reflecting more are returning to work.
"The workforce has hit a new 'normal' in what it looks like and
how it functions, and it is clear that employers and employees
adapted quickly to a new way of working," said Ahu Yildirmaz,
co-head of the ADP Research Institute. "This pandemic has
significantly changed the world of work, upended employees'
everyday lives, and undoubtedly will have a long-lasting effect on
organizations. The rate of the labor market decline is historic,
yet employee sentiment has begun to show stabilization. Our
research shows that while stress, work/life balance, the ability to
connect with others and the ability to complete tasks haven't
returned to pre-pandemic levels, employee outlook appears to be
leveling off despite the impact of COVID-19. As the workforce
continues to demonstrate resilience by overcoming challenges and
adapting to a new way of working, the shifts we've seen previously
in workforce flexibility will become a necessity."
Employer Response Matters
The survey reveals worker perception of their employer's actions
today will greatly position the organization competitively for
tomorrow and will also impact employee behavior once the pandemic
ends. Employees satisfied with their employer's response to
COVID-19 believe their company is putting people first. The
promotion of positive thinking, facilitating work from home and
encouraging virtual connections are top drivers of employee
satisfaction with an employer's response to the pandemic. As a
result, this satisfaction is closely tied to interest in remaining
with the employer – with those who are most satisfied likely to
indicate they are more interested in staying with their current
employer than they were before the COVID-19 outbreak.
COVID-19's Impact on Employee Outlook
Following are key takeaways from the report:
- U.S. Workers Becoming Comfortable with the New "Normal":
The shift in work and where it is done appears to have reached its
new "normal." In the first few weeks of the crisis, stress levels
were high as workers struggled with childcare constraints, fear of
the virus, technical issues and trouble completing their tasks. As
the weeks progressed, many of these issues became less likely to
impact their work. Though elements such as stress, work/life
balance, the ability to connect with others and the ability to
complete tasks did not get better, they became less likely to get
worse each week, possibly signifying workers were becoming more
comfortable with the change.
- Financial Concerns Appear to be Short Lived: While 65%
of workers indicate COVID-19 has negatively impacted their
finances, or will soon, the majority (58%) of workers expect their
finances to return to previous levels in the short term, including
60% of those reporting job loss or furlough.
- Increase in Job Confidence and Employer Recovery:
Employees reveal they were least confident in their ability to
retain their jobs early on, which coincided with the release of
record unemployment figures. However, by week eight, there was an
increase in confidence, with 68% of workers expecting they would
retain their job for at least the next month and one in three (31%)
expecting to return to work within the month. This optimism is
possibly buoyed by fluctuating stock market, government programs
made available and local businesses reopening.
- Long Term Effect of Employer Actions: By week eight, 60%
of workers reveal they are satisfied with actions taken by their
employer in response to COVID-19, citing increased sanitation
procedures, sharing positive messages and limiting customer
interactions as the most common company responses according to
workers. In fact, more than 60% of those highly satisfied with
their employer's actions believed their company was putting people
first. A few companies have made changes to increase PTO, add
benefits and support local hospitals or charities.
Please visit ADP Research Institute to view the detailed report,
"A Workplace Redefined: Employee Resilience Amid The COVID-19
Pandemic."
About the ADP Research Institute
The mission of the ADP Research Institute is to generate
data-driven discoveries about the world of work, and to derive
reliable economic indicators from these insights. We offer
these findings to the world at large as our unique contribution to
making the world of work better and more productive, and to bring
greater awareness to the economy at large.
About ADP (NASDAQ: ADP)
Designing better ways to work through cutting-edge products,
premium services and exceptional experiences that enable people to
reach their full potential. HR, Talent, Time Management,
Benefits, and Payroll. Informed by data and designed for
people. Learn more at ADP.com
ADP, the ADP logo, Always Designing for People and ADP
Research Institute are registered trademarks of ADP, LLC. All other
marks are the property of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2020 ADP, LLC. All rights reserved.
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SOURCE ADP, LLC