Workers who have battled into the office during the pandemic are resentful of those still working from home – and are being offered pay rises and perks to keep them happy, HR staff reveal
- Workers feel resentful towards colleagues who continue to work from home
- Some employees feel aggrieved at the money and time spent on commuting
- The issue has led some companies to offer their in-house staff extra perks
Workers who have been required to go into the office during the coronavirus lockdown feel resentful towards their colleagues who continue to work from home, according to HR professionals.
Some employees feel aggrieved at the money and time spent on commuting to their workplace when their co-workers are able to remain at home.
The issue has led some companies to offer their in-house staff perks including extra paid leave and bonuses.
Some disgruntled workers have launched grievance procedures against their employers.
Workers who have been required to go into the office during the coronavirus lockdown feel resentful towards their colleagues who continue to work from home, according to HR professionals (stock image)
‘At the beginning, the attitude was ‘we are all in this together’, but as time goes on that has dissipated,’ Katie Jacobs of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development told the Daily Telegraph.
‘Employers were pleasantly surprised that there was a lot of kindness, but that seems to have disappeared and now people are tired, burnt out and fed up.’
Ms Jacobs estimated that just 20 to 30 per cent of the UK workforce will be expected to return to the office by autumn or the end of the year.
Research by BrightHR, a company which provides HR support to small and medium businesses, found that there is an ‘us and them’ division emerging in companies which have some staff members at home and some in the office.
BrightHR CEO Alan Price said most small business were not yet ordering all their staff to return to the office due to social distancing rules and childcare concerns, although he said there could be a ‘watershed’ moment in September when children go back to school.
New government guidance which came into effect on August 1 meant that employers can now ask staff to return to the office under the condition that social distancing rules must be maintained.
Other HR experts said there was also growing tension between some employers and their staff over whether people had to go into work.
Natalie Ellis, from Your Virtual HR, told MailOnline: ”I’m getting that a lot from clients. Employers like to see their teams and have an office environment, so we are seeing a conflict between them and their staff who want to remain at home.
‘Flexible working has been in the pipeline for many years, but what we’re finding is that there are employees that don’t want to return to work because they’re getting used to a different way of life.’