I Don't Want to Go Back: Examining the Return to Physical Workspaces During COVID-19.

Liu, Zihan; van Egdom, Drake; Flin, Rhona; Spitzmueller, Christiane; Adepoju, Omolola; Krishnamoorti, Ramanan

OBJECTIVE We study employee perspectives on return to physical workspaces to ultimately inform employers' and policy makers' decision making around the return to work during COVID-19. METHODS We tested the three-component conceptual model using survey data collected in the United States in May 2020 from samples of energy workers (N = 333). RESULTS Females, non-Caucasians, and employees living in multi-generational households were less willing to return. Concerns about childcare were negatively related to willingness to return, whereas organizational strategies for mitigating COVID-19 transmission at work were positively related to willingness to return. COVID-19 infections in an employees' network were also negatively related to employees' willingness to return. CONCLUSIONS Blanket policies may miss the nuanced needs of different employee groups. Employers and policy makers should adopt flexible approaches to ensure a return to workspaces that addresses employee concerns and needs.