As Covid restrictions are gradually lifted and more UK businesses start trading again, global data looking at the readiness of employees to return to work shows that women are consistently more concerned about safety matters in the post-lockdown workplace than men.
A new survey found an average 10-point difference between men and women on responses to questions about workplace safety post-lockdown.
For example, 56 percent of women compared to 46 percent of men would like their company to implement more safety measures as they return to work.
Women are also more concerned about the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as facemasks or hand sanitizer, with 86 percent expressing a desire to access PPE when they return to the workplace compared to 77 percent of men.
The data goes on to show that 45 percent of men would feel safe using their company’s workplace facilities such as the gym, cafeteria or other social areas while only 36 percent of women agreed.
The safety concerns also extend beyond the workplace, with 32 percent of women stating that they would feel safe travelling to the workplace when the Covid-19 restrictions lift compared to 43 percent of men.
Commenting on the findings, Jess Brook, lead people scientist at Culture Amp, that carried our the research, said: “Women have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19, especially when it comes to childcare duties, job losses and healthcare – it’s no surprise that as we look to what the future may hold, women are more likely to prepare themselves for a ‘worst case scenario’.
“The findings should serve as a stark reminder to business leaders about the very real concerns that employees have about emerging from lockdown and what ‘new normal’ they’ll discover when they do. It also reminds us that these concerns aren’t blanket across employees.”
