Charity staff nervous about return to office – but a third won’t reopen
Melanie May | 30 June 2021 | News
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, 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.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.