Aon: 81% of employers have tentative date for return to office

Dive Brief:

Employer plans regarding return-to-work are becoming more clear, according to results of an Aon pulse survey sent to HR Dive May 18. Just over half said workers would return onsite in Q3 while 81% have a tentative date for employees to return onsite.
As to how that return will look, many employers are still unsure; 37% said employees would return to the office two to three days per week and 16% said four or five, while nearly all the rest said they would leave it to managers, employees or are unsure.
Employers are also following different cues for when and how to return to work, according to Aon. Sixty-six percent are looking at government COVID-19 stats to determine returns to the office, while 38% said they are taking into account the percentage of employees who are vaccinated.

Dive Insight:

Stress and anxiety are up as employers grapple with the return to the office, surveys have shown. Managing that response to reopening will be key for employers moving forward.

For example, a survey by Limeade showed that all employees surveyed experienced some anxiety over returning to the office — but 56% of respondents said that their employers had not asked for feedback regarding their reopening plans. Employees may resist efforts to push full returns to the office; one survey by Robert Half published in April said that one-third of respondents who were currently working from home would look for another job if required to return to the office full time.

Many employers are considering a hybrid format due in part to that reticence. A separate survey by Prudential and Morning Consult showed that 87% of respondents who were working remotely wanted to continue to do so at least one day a week post-pandemic. In response, some employers, including Google, are piloting hybrid work formats combining remote and in-office models.

As employers try to determine when they will re-open offices, some have begun asking employees if they are vaccinated. Such a question is allowed by law, attorneys have said, though employers have to be cautious with any follow-up questions in order not to violate the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.