Safety culture will invade the office in the 2020s in the same way it did the worksite or the mine in the 1980s and 1990s, with a renewed focus not only on hygiene, but also mental health and wellness.

That is the findings from FlexCareers, a work platform that actively promotes flexible jobs and positions, but also helps companies to engage, retain and evolve talent in the new world of work through external and internal programs.

The report delves into COVID’s effects on employers and employees following a survey of 1622 employees.

It says COVID-19 has accelerated some fundamental and long overdue changes when it comes to the way we work, and also found:

• 67% of workers are either worried, or strongly worried about travelling on public transport.
• 53% of employees say they are worried about office cleanliness and hygiene, and looking at companies’ health policies more seriously than ever before
• 89% of job seekers say that an employer’s work health and safety policy is important or very important when assessing a potential employer
• 45% of employees suffered mental health issues through COVID-19, with their employers supporting them through the experience.
• More than two-thirds (68%) of people are looking to pursue professional education independently of their employer, and even pay for it themselves, in order to secure themselves against future job losses.
• 62% of employees stated they will be working remotely more frequently than they did in the past.
• 67% of workers are either worried, or strongly worried about travelling on public transport.

In addition, the report also references a number of case studies, including Ernst & Young (EY), which has focused on flexible working for many years and at the end of 2019 had 27% of its people in Oceania accessing informal flexibility regularly and 45% occasionally.

EY recently surveyed its people to see what they were thinking about a return to the office, with only 11% stating they want to be one of the first people to return to the office, while 20% want to stay working remotely indefinitely.

The pandemic has given EY strong evidence that working remotely does not negatively impact client delivery. They will be further empowering their people to discover what working style work best for them, which may not mean working in one location all the time or for the standard 9-to-5.

In another case study, it was described how 70% of South East Water employees  in July 2019 felt they were genuinely supported in making use of flexible work arrangements, this increased to 87% in March 2020.

FlexCareers CEO, Joel McInnes, says: “People want to know from their employers: how are you going to make sure I’m safe? Will you let me work flexibly from now on? If not, why not?,” he said.

“With over two-thirds of workers (67%) either worried, or strongly worried about travelling on public transport, it’s certainly going to be a challenge making them feel comfortable coming into the office.”