Only 57% of employees feel safe returning to workplace

Photo by Edward Jenner

Earlier this year, EngageRocket, in collaboration with the Institute for HR Professionals (IHRP) and the Singapore HR Institute (SHRI), launched the National Employee Experience Transformation (NEXT) programme for Singaporean companies to tap into people analytics to improve employee well-being and experience.

Since its launch on March 17, 2021, over 130,000 responses from thousands of employees have been analysed to date.

According to the initial findings of the EngageRocket National Employee Experience Transformation survey :

  • 57% of employees feel safe returning to the workplace
  • However, 60.4% of the respondents would feel safer to return to work if staff were vaccinated.

The study suggests that one year in the pandemic, employees became more familiar with WFH processes:

  • The study revealed that 78% of employees who are working mostly at home feel productive in their roles (vs 57% in April 2020).
  • As a comparison, 73% of employees who are working mostly at the office feel productive in their roles.

“One year after the pandemic, new practices and digital technologies offer sustainable opportunities for remote productivity. More employees may return to the workplace from Apr 5, but may not be ready to return to pre-COVID business-as-usual.” explains CheeTung Leong, CEO and co-founder of EngageRocket.

“The pandemic seems to have shifted mindsets about what is possible and has opened a door to a more sustainable “hybrid way” of working.”

“These initial findings one year into the pandemic reinforce the resilience of the Singapore workforce.,” commented Mayank Parekh, CEO of the Institute for Human Resource Professionals. “As Singapore eases more pandemic restrictions, a “hybrid” approach to working will promote more inclusive, productive and human-centric workplaces. This is not only good for employees but also for business,”

“The data received thus far reflects the good work that both businesses and HR leaders have set in place since 2020. We have kept the workforce productive and engaged through the use of various digital platforms. We look forward to more participation in NEXT as more data collected will drive greater insightful results which will, in turn, benefit the workforce and businesses,” added Alvin Goh, Executive Director at Singapore Human Resources Institute.