Nearly 90% of Workers Have Heightened Concerns Working in Office with Rise of COVID-19 Variants

As variants of COVID-19 spread, a Honeywell survey shows that a significant majority of workers (87%) are more concerned about working in an office building. Despite the broad rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, the company noted a 19 percentage point increase in concern compared to last year’s findings.

Conducted by Wakefield Research, the study surveyed 3,000 office workers who typically work in buildings with 500 or more employees across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, India, the Middle East and ASEAN.

Results from the January 2021 survey, of a smaller sample size, showed 68% of workers not feeling completely safe working in their employer’s buildings at the time.

Of all respondents (62%) said they would leave their job if their employer does not take necessary measures to create a healthier indoor environment that promotes well-being.

When asked on what poses a bigger threat to their safety, nearly 3 in 5 (57%) of those surveyed noted co-workers not following safety guidelines, while more than 2 in 5 (43%) said outdated ventilation systems.

“Many companies have been forced to again rethink their return to office strategies given rising infection rates,” said Manish Sharma, vice president, chief technology and chief product officer for Honeywell Building Technologies, in a statement.

“These insights imply that employers need to continue to consider how they are creating healthier and safer workspaces, in particular related to improving indoor air quality and tracking compliance to guidelines such as social distancing and mask wearing. In the long term, creating a healthier workplace can be a competitive advantage to drive employee satisfaction and retainment,” said Sharma.

Honeywell’s Healthy Buildings solutions integrate air quality, safety, and security technologies along with analytics to help building owners improve the health of their buildings, operate more cleanly and safely, comply with new guidelines, and help reassure occupants.

It’s indoor air quality solutions can help improve occupant well-being, meet energy efficiency goals, and change the way that occupants experience a building, according to the company.