I don’t want to go back: examining the return to physical workspaces during COVID-19.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We study employee perspectives on return to physical workspaces to ultimately inform employers' and policy makers' decision making around the return to work during COVID-19. METHODS: We tested the three-component conceptual model using survey data collected in the United States in May 2020 from samples of energy workers (N = 333). RESULTS: Women, non-Caucasians, and employees living in multi-generational households were less willing to return. Concerns about childcare were negatively related to willingness to return, whereas organizational strategies for mitigating COVID-19 transmission at work were positively related to willingness to return. COVID-19 infections in an employees' network were also negatively related to employees' willingness to return. CONCLUSIONS: Blanket policies may miss the nuanced needs of different employee groups. Employers and policy makers should adopt flexible approaches to ensure a return to workspaces that addresses employee concerns and needs.

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DOI

https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002012

Repository URI

https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/962906