Extra Costs, Covid-Risk and Worsening Home Life Dampen Return to Office

Return to Office Affecting Employee Wellbeing

It’s not just a case that employees simply don’t enjoy certain aspects of returning to the office; for some, it has a much bigger impact on their personal lives.

23% of respondents said their home life had worsened since returning to the office. But why?

Lack of Sleep and Less Time for Housework

Lack of sleep due to the commute and less time to carry out housework were the main reasons employees felt their home life had worsened.

• Less sleep due to commute (68%)
• Less time to carry out housework (57%)
• Feel more stressed by being back in the office (53%)

Mental Health Impacted by Return to Office

Employees are also seeing a change in their mental health, with 1 in 5 saying they feel theirs has gotten worse since being back in the office.

Once again, worse work-life balance (61%) and the daily commute (50%) were given as the main reasons for the decline.

Productivity Levels Decline Since Return to Office

Based on our survey results, it’s not surprising that many employees have reported a decline in productivity, too.

When asked, ‘Has your productivity been lower since returning to the office?’ 20% of respondents said that it had. The main reasons given for this were:

• More distractions in the office (80%)
• Daily commute (59%)
• Increased stress (38%)

Flexible Working Option May Keep Employees Happy and Productive

Whether it’s the daily commute, feeling more stressed or having less time to carry out housework, the office return is affecting the wellbeing of employees. This is then having a knock-on effect on job performance.

To turn this around, employers need to acknowledge what employees don’t enjoy about returning and put measures in place to improve their employees’ experience.

Working from home full time might not be feasible or even the right thing to do, but implementing flexible working hours or increasing the number of days employees can work from home might go some way to helping. It won’t only be suitable for employees; it may help to keep the business running smoothly and effectively.