# Charity staff nervous about return to office – but a third won’t reopen

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/06/30/charity-staff-nervous-about-return-to-office-but-a-third-wont-reopen/
- Published: 2021-06-30T09:42:00+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Three out of five charity staff are anxious about returning to the office once
restrictions lift, but almost a third of offices won’t reopen, according to a survey
of charity leaders by Ecclesiastical**.

In the survey by the specialist insurer, 60% of leaders said that charity staff 
and volunteers were anxious about returning to the office when it reopens. Nearly
half (48%) said they also had concerns about how staff and volunteers will react
to the return to the office after over a year of working remotely.

The biggest concern was around the risk of catching Covid-19 (58%), with other concerns
cited including service users not wearing masks (35%) and colleagues (34%) and service
users (33%) not observing social distancing measures.

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However, not all offices will reopen. While 39% plan to return, nearly a third of
respondents said that they won’t reopen their offices at all. RNID is among them.
It announced the sale of its London offices in January and confirmed that it would
operate on a remote basis from September following a consultation with staff on 
flexible working.

The survey found that 29% planned to follow suit with a full remote working model
while 45% will be adopting a flexible approach to remote working with a hybrid approach
allowing staff to continue working from home while visiting the offices a couple
of times a week.

Not all have found home working easy however – 31% reported challenges at home such
as childcare and home schooling, while 28% said they were feeling fatigued by working
remotely.

Angus Roy, Charity Niche Director at [Ecclesiastical Insurance](https://www.ecclesiastical.com/),
said:

> “The last year has proved far more challenging than anyone could have anticipated,
> but throughout it people have shown incredible resilience and adaptability.
>  
> “The same has to be said for the charity sector. Against increased demand and 
> a reduction in funding, charities have stepped up again and again to support those
> most in need.
>  
> “Ahead of any potential reopening of office space it’s only natural that there
> will be some trepidation among staff and volunteers about how that may look. It’s
> important that charities listen to these concerns, engage with their staff and
> set out a plan that works for all parties.”