State of EX: COVID-19 Impact

Posted in HR Trends

Many customers have asked us to help support their people experience programs through COVID-19. The problem: how do you respond effectively when there isn’t a historical playbook to reference?

The good news: we’ve got insights from 3,000 global participants AND the tools you need to put them into action – today!

New research by Enboarder proves there is an alarming disconnect between managers and employees – and COVID-19’s remote working landscape is driving them even further apart.

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The research reveals almost 75% of managers are confident they fully understand how their teams are feeling amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic. But in stark contrast, only 32% of employees say their managers have specifically asked them how they are feeling 👎

While managers and employees unanimously agree that the new remote working climate has made communication between them increasingly difficult, their reasons failed to match up.
Employees recorded a decrease in one-on-one conversations with their managers, with many under the impression that COVID-19 had increased their managers’ workloads and therefore drastically reduced their availability. 📉

However, a staggering number of managers (44%) say their workloads have  actually decreased due to COVID-19. Only 31% recorded an increase and less than 25% say their workloads have remained the same.

Despite this universal decrease in workloads, up to 48% of managers admit they have reduced the frequency of their one-on-one catch ups since transitioning to remote work.

It’s a surprising decline given that 61% of managers say their teams are less productive when working remotely, with almost 63% believing they have to be physically present in order to get the best out of their team.

The productivity sentiment is not echoed by those on the front line. Almost half of the employees surveyed said they feel equally – if not more – engaged and productive when working from home.

Signifying a major disconnect and potential lack of information transparency within organisations, director-level employees were most likely to be feeling ‘hopeful’ during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a feeling not shared by the rest of the business with almost one in three employees admitting they feel anxious.

A mixture of remote and in-office work may be the way of the future with 54% of respondents saying they want to continue working remotely in some capacity. While 40% prefer an office atmosphere and say COVID-19 has made them realise they don’t enjoy working remotely.

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