Staff could need ‘unprecedented’ support when returning
The long-term effects of being on furlough or doing jobs at home means staff returning to the workplace could need unprecedented levels of support to get them back up and running, a Derby firm warns.
Loates Management Training, in Darley Abbey, says with the lockdown set to lift and the likelihood of some companies being able to bring staff back off furlough, firms should now be planning to make whatever arrangements they need with regards to their workforce.
This is because of the effect that being away from the workplace, or not doing their jobs for months on end, will have left staff facing a number of issues that will affect their ability to get back up and running.
These might include a lack of updated training, feelings of isolation, concerns over mental health and issues connected with furloughing, including “furlough guilt” and “furlough fatigue – both of which have had a marked effect on employees’ levels of work satisfaction and self-esteem.
Sarah Loates, managing director, says she has seen plenty of examples of these issues during the last few months, especially for those who have been furloughed from the beginning of the first lockdown.
For many, the reality of being paid to not work for months on end while colleagues were left to pick up their workload led to feelings of guilt, while others may be nursing fears over their perceived worth to their employees as the weeks of inactivity go by. Those still working, meanwhile, may have struggled to take on their colleagues’ work, along with struggling to juggle home working with home schooling. And there may also be the legacy of loneliness and isolation with colleagues who previously relied on their workmates for friendship and human contact.
Sarah said: “While hugely welcome for those firms who can now start planning for the future, the return to the workplace – whatever form that may take – will represent a day of reckoning for all companies.
“Although the Chancellor’s announcement he is going to extend furlough to September will mean many employees will continue to be paid to stay away, the easing of lockdown will mean that many more will start working again.
“From what we have seen, many of them are going to need unprecedented levels of support because lockdown has had a significant effect on workers’ selfesteem, their mental health and the ability to just pick up where they left off.
“While workers will be keen to get back, companies may well be dealing with people’s skills having become rusty, crises of confidence, concerns over picking up coronavirus and the fact that while they’ve been off, many things in the company will have changed dramatically.”
In response to the issue, Loates, which is a sister brand to Loates HR Consultancy and is celebrating its 10th year of business, has put together a programme of training webinars called Back to Business designed to give managers a helping hand.