UK staff will formally complain or leave if Covid safety is ignored on their return to work

New research from digital health pass tested.me, has unveiled that nearly half, 49%, of organisations are expecting the managing of COVID-19 health data to be a burden once employees go back to the workplace.

The polling conducted by Census Wide found across the four nations, businesses claimed they already are, or are expecting to, spend a lengthy eight hours a week managing their employees’ covid health data equating to a full working day each week or 35 hours a month.

As the return to the more traditional working looms, it is not just the time constraints businesses reported being concerned about, more than two fifths of those polled, 44%, are also worried about the cost implications time spent on covid admin will have on their business.

Of the business owners and HR managers surveyed, over a third, 36%, report that they will have to hire someone tomanage the covid health data of their workforce. The UK’s youngest employers are the most worried and expecting tobe hit the hardest, with almost two thirds, 63%, of GenZ respondents stating they will have to employ someone new tocarry out the health data management role.

Comparatively, more than a quarter (26%) of female business owners or HR managers surveyed said they feel unprepared for managing the health and safety of their employees and customers when restrictions ease, compared toless than a fifth (19%) of male business owners or HR managers.

When it comes to industry, 70% of employers working in the legal sector said they are expecting monitoring the covid health data of their employees to be a burden compared with over two thirds, (65%) who work in retail and leisure. Surprisingly those working in travel and transport are less concerned with only a third (33%) reporting that they expect covid data management of their employees to be a burden.

Predictably the size of the organisation also affected concern levels with 69% of larger companies, with over 250 employees, reporting that they are expecting there to be a burden in managing covid health data when their employees return to work versus less than two fifths of company owners and HR managers at small organisations (1-9 employees).

Speaking on the importance of bringing staff back to the office in a safe and secure manner, Simon Osman, Chief Executive of digital health pass tested.me, said: “As employees begin to return to workplaces, covid health and safety protocols need to be in place to ensure a safe return for everyone involved but this shouldn’t come at the detriment to a business – either financially or workload wise. Businesses are desperate to get their employees back, and organisations need support in managing the health data of their staff in a straightforward and simple way.”