A new approach to get Britain safely back to work: Niki Fuchs in Property Week

In a recent comment piece for Property Week, OSiT Managing Director Niki Fuchs outlines the importance of a safe return to the office for employee productivity, health and wellbeing.

With employees facing distractions and struggling to achieve the all-important work-life balance at home, output per worker declined by almost a fifth in Q2 of 2020 - the sharpest fall since records began. Niki argues that a return to the office will not only support employee wellbeing, confidence and productivity, it will also set into motion the recovery our country needs.

As well as distractions, the number one issue reported by employees in respect of long-term remote working, many also considered a lack of collaboration with colleagues and not having a dedicated workspace as negative issues they were having to deal with.

Meanwhile from a mental health perspective lockdowns have increased feelings of loneliness and anxiety across all age groups. A recent Mental Health Foundation report highlighted that people suffering from these feelings jumped from 10% pre-Covid to 25% following lockdown.

People are craving ‘normal’ interactions to make their working day better, rather than relying on Zoom calls and WhatsApp group chats to fulfil their social needs. Continuing to operate in relative isolation will only add to the mental health burden of our workforce, with a knock-on effect for business productivity.

In fact, office providers, many of which have invested heavily in making workspaces Covid-safe, offer some of the safest spaces for workers.

Read more here.