Women feel less safe in the workplace than men as COVID restrictions lift

woman wearing a face mask, returning to work after lockdown, COVID-19, safe in the workplace

Women feel less safe in the workplace than men as COVID-19 restrictions are lifting, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted by Culture Amp, a people and culture platform, found that women have more concerns returning to work post-lockdown.

As Covid restrictions are gradually lifted and UK businesses start trading again, global data looking at the readiness of employees to return to work shows that women are consistently more concerned about safety matters in the post-lockdown workplace than men.

Culture Amp, a people and culture platform, conducted a global ‘Prepare for Returning to the Workplace’ survey of over 31,000 employees in organisations around the world between 5th May and 1st June 2020.  Researchers found that an average 10 point difference between men and women on responses to questions about workplace safety post-lockdown.

For example, 56 per cent of women compared to 46 per cent of men would like their company to implement more safety measures as they return to work.

Women are also more concerned about the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as facemasks or hand sanitizer, with 86 per cent expressing a desire to access PPE when they return to the workplace compared to 77 per cent of men.

The data goes on to show that 45 per cent of men would feel safe using their company’s workplace facilities such as the gym, cafeteria or other social areas while only 36 per cent of women agreed.

The safety concerns also extend beyond the workplace, with 32 per cent of women stating that they would feel safe travelling to the workplace when the Covid-19 restrictions lift compared to 43 per cent of men.

Speaking about the findings, Jess Brook, lead people scientist at Culture Amp said, “Women have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, especially when it comes to childcare duties, job losses and healthcare – it’s no surprise that as we look to what the future may hold, women are more likely to prepare themselves for a ‘worst case scenario’.”

“These findings should serve as a stark reminder to business leaders about the very real concerns that employees have about emerging from lockdown and what ‘new normal’ they’ll discover when they do.”

“It also reminds us that these concerns aren’t blanket across employees.”


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About the author

Alison is the Digital Content Editor for WeAreTheCity. She has a BA Honours degree in Journalism and History from the University of Portsmouth. She has previously worked in the marketing sector and in a copywriting role. Alison’s other passions and hobbies include writing, blogging and travelling.
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