UK employees: 'Give us vaccine or antibody test before return to work'

A survey of 2,000 UK adults - just over 624 working from home during lockdown - has shown that 35% would prefer to be tested for antibodies or immunised for coronavirus before they come back to a physical working environment.

The research by Canada Life, carried out early July, also found that while four in 10 are feeling positive about returning to the office, 28% are concerned about it - increasing to 36% for women.

Almost a fifth (17%), meanwhile, do not expect working practices to return to normal for several years - or won't ever go back to the way it was before Covid-19 - despite the government alert level dropping to three.

Of those working from home, the other measures they'd like to see implemented include routine temperature checks (18%), regular coronavirus testing in the office (21%) and physical changes like socially distanced desks (22%). However, they would also like the option to work from home when they want to (31%), while a quarter (23%) want to be given the choice as to whether they return to the physical work environment at all. 

Despite the concerns (see table below) of a return to the office environment, having access to teams and management (18%), getting back into a routine (16%), having fewer distractions (13%) and improved mental health (12%) are among the things workers are looking forward to returning to the workplace for. 

Concern	% Women who are concerned	% Men who are concerned	Overall % people who are concerned
Contracting COVID-19	23%	37%	29%
Commuting	30%	24%	26%
The risk that colleagues won't be taking the same safety precautions	26%	16%	20%
Having to physically interact with people again	23%	12%	17%

Paul Avis, strategic proposition director, Canada Life group insurance said: "Workers are unsurprisingly anxious about returning to the physical workplace. After such a long period of time working from home, many of us have developed new ways of working and fallen into new routines. And while lots of workers are looking forward to getting ‘back to normal', many feel like the ‘new normal' will never be the same as it once was. With the pandemic changing the way we've lived our lives over the past four months, I'm not surprised that some are understandably hoping for a vaccine or antibody testing before they get back into the workplace. 

"But as anyone who may have spent the last few months working from a single bedroom flat will testify, a return to the workplace will come as a welcome relief alongside all the social benefits that brings. Concerns have been raised by psychiatrists that we face a tsunami of mental health issues and so a return to the workplace, noting work has been proven to be beneficial for mental health, will be welcomed by many who rely on the challenges of daily work and the social and support networks.

"Employers have a clear responsibility to ensure their workers feel safe returning to the workplace and are given the time and support they need to feel comfortable doing so. Employers can access the resources and tools available to them to help ensure a return to the workplace will be as positive an experience as possible."

Employers should 'exercise caution' around Covid-19 testing

Further reading

Simplyhealth to offer Covid-19 antibody testing

• PMI
• 06 July 2020

• Tweet  
• Facebook  
• LinkedIn  
• Send to  

• Topics
• Group Protection
• Employee Benefits
• Vaccine
• Coronavirus
• COVID-19
• UK employees
• antibody testing