Ready They’re Not: New Citrix Survey Finds Employees Reluctant to Return to Office
May 13 2020 - 11:35AM
Business Wire
Despite increased safety measures, majority of
US workers polled say they would prefer to continue working from
home
As the US economy prepares to re-open, businesses are readying
plans to return employees to the office. But as the results of a
new survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Citrix Systems, Inc.
(NASDAQ:CTXS) reveal, a majority of office workers currently
working from home due to the coronavirus are reluctant to do so.
Despite the relaxing of shelter-in-place orders and increase in
safety measures, 64 percent of 2,000 US workers polled say they
would not feel comfortable returning to the office for one month or
more.
“As companies prepare to restart their operations in the wake of
the coronavirus pandemic, it is important that they understand the
concerns and expectations employees have for returning to the
office,” says Donna Kimmel, Chief People Officer, Citrix. “The vast
majority of workers remain anxious and want to be sure that they
are not putting themselves or their families at risk and employers
must factor this into their plans.”
The Rush Isn’t On
Asked when they would be comfortable working in an office
environment again, 64 percent of employees who responded to the
OnePoll survey said in 30 days or more:
- One month (22 percent)
- Two months (19 percent)
- Three months (14 percent)
- Four months (5 percent)
- Five months (2 percent)
- More than five months (2 percent)
Safety First
When probed on what they would like their employers to require
as part of reopening facilities, respondents indicated:
- Face masks worn by all employees (46 percent)
- Disposable gloves worn by all employees (43 percent)
- Hand sanitizer readily available throughout office space (42
percent)
- Health checks every two weeks with specific testing for
coronavirus (41 percent)
- Face visors/face shields worn by all employees (40
percent)
- App installed on work-issued mobile devices to track employee
movements and allow contact tracing (35 percent)
- Self-temperature checks performed by employees and a dedicated
app to submit and validate data before allowing office entry (35
percent)
- Regular and clearly documented deep cleaning procedures (32
percent)
- Floor markings to enforce appropriate social distancing (32
percent)
- Thermal cameras to check temperatures before entering office
space (31 percent)
- Staggered work shifts to prevent full offices (28 percent)
- Removal of hot desking - allocated, spaced seating only (24
percent)
- No face-to-face meetings (23 percent)
- Onsite cafeterias closed (18 percent)
Non-Starters
If none of these measures are implemented, 77 percent of
employees surveyed said they will either:
- Continue to work from home permanently until the situation
changed (45 percent), or
- Go to the office only for specific purposes (32 percent)
And five percent said they will find a job that allows them to
work remotely all of the time.
Do as I ask, not as I Do
Ironically, a majority of the same respondents indicated that
even if such measures are put in place, they will continue to work
remote or go to the office only as required until they are eased.
If asked to:
- Wear a mask and gloves all the time
- 37 percent would continue to work
remote
- 37 percent would go to the office only as
required
- Install and use an app on corporate mobile devices to track
movements while on corporate premises and allow contact
tracing
- 40 percent would continue to work
remote
- 39 percent would go to the office only as
required
- Submit to health tests for coronavirus every two weeks
- 36 percent would continue to work
remote
- 38 percent would go to the office only as
required
Creating a Comfort Zone
What will it take for employees to feel comfortable returning to
the office full time? According to the OnePoll survey:
- Regular testing and health screenings for all employees (51
percent)
- An effective vaccine (46 percent)
- Contact tracing/movement apps deployed by employer (44
percent)
- Contact tracing/movement apps deployed by government (38
percent)
- Flexible sick leave policy (28 percent)
Still, three percent said the COVID-19 pandemic has changed
their approach to work and that they don’t ever want to return to
an office full time.
“When COVID-19 began its rapid spread and remote work became a
mandate, many companies viewed it as a short-term situation,”
Kimmel said. “But as this research makes clear, flexible models
that accommodate both the home and traditional workforce need to be
a permanent part of long-term plans if businesses hope to move
forward.”
Citrix provides a complete range of digital workspace solutions
to enable remote work and drive business continuity, even in the
most challenging times. Click here to learn more about these
solutions and how your organization can use them to enable seamless
workforce productivity, giving employees the flexibility to work
from anywhere in a safe manner, all while keeping your apps and
information secure.
Methodology
Citrix commissioned OnePoll to conduct an online survey of 2,000
office workers in the United States who are currently working from
home due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The research was completed
between May 2 and May 12, 2020.
About Citrix
Citrix (NASDAQ:CTXS) is powering a better way to work with
unified workspace, networking, and analytics solutions that help
organizations unlock innovation, engage customers, and boost
productivity, without sacrificing security. With Citrix, users get
a seamless work experience and IT has a unified platform to secure,
manage, and monitor diverse technologies in complex cloud
environments. Citrix solutions are in use by more than 400,000
organizations including 98 percent of the Fortune 500.
For Citrix Investors:
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Securities Act of 1933 and of Section 21E of the Securities
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Karen Master Citrix +1 216-396-4683 Karen.master@citrix.com
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