Younger Staff Suffering More During COVID19 Study Finds.

No matter what role, level of seniority or experience you may have in the UK workforce, the government enforced lockdown period will have undoubtedly affected you in some shape or form.

The near-overnight transition to working from home has placed pressures on all generations to rethink and restructure their working day. Practises and habits which have been set in place for decades for some of the UK workforce have had to have been quickly changed and updated. Normal business operations such as, client-facing communication, mastering the balance between work and home life and day to day meetings have all had to be conducted in a way that is new and jarring to many.

Although just because all age groups across the UK workforce are facing the same COVID19 related issues, this does not mean all age groups are dealing with these issues the same. In fact, a study completed by Perceptyx shows there is a contrasting difference in how the younger workforce and older workforce are dealing with COVID19 and working from home.

Perceptyx found that employees 26 years old or younger were at the most risk of feeling disconnected in the effort of helping to achieve company and personal goals.

In addition younger employees who used to work in a physical workplace like an office or worksite, but have now been forced into working remotely, have felt the biggest negative impact when it comes to their wellbeing and productivity.

The report acknowledges that from a technological viewpoint, younger workers feel well equipped with the move to home working. However, 22% of those surveyed said that they did not feel able to take time off for illness (whilst working from home). One reason given was a fear of an employer perceiving such a situation negatively.

How can HR help young workers?

It’s apparent that remote working has had a huge impact on the UK’s younger workforce and their mental wellbeing. This may be due to the likes of not being able to switch off from work of an evening, struggling to maintain a work-life balance, struggling for motivation or a perceived feeling of pressure from staff above them.

What can HR do to help support the younger staff? HR needs to be proactive in asking them the correct questions, questions like, “What challenges are you facing?”, “What can I do to help you be more productive?”.

It is important to listen and react to what they have to say. Try to involve them in larger meetings, create more opportunities for them and encourage them to do further learning and skill development.

What can oneHR do to help?

How do you currently manage your staff whilst working from home? Are they bombarded with emails and Zoom calls?

Not only can oneHR manage absenteeism, holidays and lateness, but it also allows you to set tasks and upload documents to staff. This further level of engagement can give staff who are struggling whilst working from home more guidance and structure to their day.

If you would like any further guidance please contact us:

E: info@onehrsoftware.com

P: +(44) 843 509 6857

Twitter: @oneHR_