Study reveals what office workers are most worried about when returning to work, from commuting to sharing toilets

25 June 2020, 10:06

By Alice Dear

As lockdown in England eases, some people are preparing to return back to work in the coming weeks.

The UK has been in lockdown now for months, with England making the biggest changes to rules recently as lockdown eases.

With this in mind, some people have been returning to their offices over the past weeks, while some will be preparing to very soon.

Having spent weeks working from home, and with no vaccine available for COVID-19, it's no surprise there are some concerns around office workers.

A survey of office workers by Brother UK revealed the top biggest worries for people as they start to return to shared working environments.

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The top worry in the study was commuting to the office, as 66 per cent of people said they were worried about this.

In second was sharing toilet facilities, with 65 per cent, and in third sharing kitchen facilities with 61 per cent.

Office workers are also concerned about the cleanliness of their office, the cleanliness of their colleagues, people coming to their desks and colleagues touching them.

Because of this, it's no wonder people will be ditching their usual work habits to stay safe.

81 per cent of people said they will stop shaking hands with clients and colleagues, while 62 per cent will say no to hot desking.

61 per cent of people will not longer be using communal kitchen equipment, 57 per cent will stop sharing pens and a massive 54 per cent will no longer share lifts with people.

Other habits workers are keen to avoid include sharing tech equipment, sitting in an enclosed room with others, making tea or coffee for colleagues and taking snacks from friends in the office.

With so much anxiety around returning to work, many workplaces are putting safety measures in place to keep people safe and comfortable.

Of course, some people are also excited to return to work, to see their colleagues again and to get back to a routine.

Brother UK found that the thing office workers have missed the most is seeing friends and colleagues, with a huge 77 per cent agreeing.

The survey also shows that people have missed office gossip, collaborating with people face-to-face and getting motivation from other colleagues.

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