MANAGING EMPLOYEES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC:
Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of workMANAGING EMPLOYEES DURINGTHE COVID-19 PANDEMIC:Flexible working and the future of workSarah Forbes, Holly Birkett, Lowri Evans, Heejung Chungand Julie Whiteman1
Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work2
3Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of workTABLE OF CONTENTTable of figures4Foreward5Executive summary61 Introduction92 Patterns of Working From Home Before and Since Lockdown103 Supporting Working From Home12Many organisations are providing extra support for those working from home12Other support was also offered to employees13Managers’ qualitative responses: Most significant struggles during lockdown144 Managers’ Experiences of Managing Employees Working From HomeManagers have had generally positive experiences of staff working from home since theCOVID-19 lockdown16Negative experiences of managing homeworkers since lockdown18Managers support for parents19Managers’ qualitative responses: Most significant learning experiences205 Future Preferences and Attitudes to Working From Home23Managers are more supportive of working from home in the future23Managers’ qualitative responses: Future attitudes to working from home256 Conclusion267 Policy recommendations27Recommendations for organisations/managers27Recommendations for policymakers288 Methodology/About the Project29References31Acknowledgements32Author Information33
4Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of workTABLE OF FIGURESFigure 1. Percentage of managers reporting reason why employees/more employees werenot working from home before lockdown by manager’s work location10Figure 2. Managers reporting the percentage of employees working from home before andsince the COVID-19 lockdown11Figure 3. Percentage of managers reporting tools supplied by their organisation toemployees to assist with working from home before and since the COVID-19 lockdown12Figure 4. Percentage of managers reporting their organisation as supplying support toemployees since the COVID-19 lockdown by organisation size (number of employees)13Figure 5. Percentage of managers reporting they agreed or strongly agreed with attitudinalstatements about working from home by place of work16Figure 6. Percentage of managers reporting they agreed or strongly agreed with attitudinalstatements about working conditions16Figure 7. Percentage of managers reporting that flexible workers are just as likely to getpromoted within their organisation by organisation size (number of employees)17Figure 8. Percentage of managers agreeing or strongly agreeing with statements regardingflexible working by role17Figure 9. Percentage of managers agreeing or strongly agreeing to statement regarding trusttoward employees since lockdown18Figure 10. Percentage of managers agreeing or strongly agreeing that working from homeled to isolation18Figure 11. Percentage of managers agreeing or strongly agreeing to statements aboutsupporting employees and training19Figure 12. Percentage of managers reporting that their organisation has a parenting groupby industry19Figure 13. Percentage of managers agreeing or strongly agreeing with statements on caregiving responsibilities by role19Figure 14. Percentage of managers who expect organisations to be more supportive ofvarious flexible working arrangements in the future by industry23Figure 15. Percentage of managers reporting their organisations being likely or very likely tomake changes to senior jobs24Figure 16. Percentage of managers reporting their organisation as likely or very likely tomake changes around flexible working/ homeworking24Figure 17. Percentage of respondents by industry30
Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work5FOREWORDGender inequality persists in UK workplaces.In 2019 the Gender Pay Gap was 17.3%and only 10% of executive roles are held bywomen in STEM companies and 7% in nonSTEM companies. Driven in part by the DaviesReview and the Hampton Alexander Report,Government and many Businesses havedeveloped new policies and initiatives to start tobreak down the enduring barriers women canface in progressing their careers, particularlythose around family. However, progress hascontinued to be incremental.It is now clear that the COVID-19 pandemichas radically changed many working practicesand led to a seismic shift in the number ofemployees working from home and workingmore flexible hours. Whilst many have facedhuge difficulties, the pandemic does have thepotential to act as a catalyst for a giant stepforward in this area, to break down relentlessgendered cultural norms around childcare tochange the ways we work across the UK.This important research project from theUniversity of Birmingham and the University ofKent can help us move forward by developingthe evidence base and providing momentumfor ongoing change in working practices. Thefirst report in the series showed that employeeswant more flexibility, most want to be able towork from home on a regular basis and evenmore importantly, they plan to ask to formalisethese new arrangements when the pandemicis under control. Equally important, we seemanagers are embracing flexible working andin many cases developing a new-found trustand pride in their teams while working remotelyduring the pandemic. This is such positivenews and provides the foundations for a stepchange in the ways we work in the future andthe flexibility employees can expect. Of course,this agenda needs to be managed thoughtfullyand sensitively, there are some sectors whereworking from home may not be possible butother forms of flexible working could work.There are many employees who would like tocontinue to work permanently in a traditionaloffice space and even those who would prefer towork from home are likely to want to collaborateperiodically in a physical office space. Crucially,flexible working is only beneficial to employersand workers if it is properly supported witheffective tools, safe and comfortable remoteworking spaces, properly trained managersand wellbeing support. It is also important forbusinesses and policymakers to think aboutthe wider impacts of these changes to ways ofworking for the economy and particularly whatthis means for cities and towns.So now is the time to leverage these findingsand use them to encourage organisations tobe more actively supportive of flexible workingby opening up discussions with employeesabout how they would like to work in the futureand what would be of most benefit to both theemployee and the organisation. In doing sowe can support employee wellbeing generallyand particularly support people with caringresponsibilities and thereby help reduce barriersmen can face to undertaking more caringresponsibilities and which many women facein trying to develop their careers. Let’s createmore balance and more of a level playing field,helping to close the Gender Pay Gap andsupport more women to work their way intosenior positions within organisations.Professor Joanne DuberleyDeputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion)and Professor of Organisational Studies, University of Birmingham
Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work6EXECUTIVE SUMMARYBetween 24th July and 11th August researchersfrom the Working from Home During the COVID-19Lockdown Project, run by the University ofBirmingham and the University of Kent, conducteda survey with UK managers with the aim ofunderstanding the organisational perspectiveon managing homeworking since the COVID-19lockdown. This research builds on previouspublished research from the project team onemployee experiences since lockdown that showeda steep rise in the number of employees workingfrom home with most (86%) employees working fromhome, and a remarkable 75.3% of parents reportingthey would like to work flexibly to spend more timewith family (Chung, Seo, Forbes & Birkett, 2020).This research on management experiences overlockdown produced the following key findings: Lockdown has led to an increase in supportprovided for homeworking Most managers have had to manage staffremotely since lockdown The majority (58.2%) of managers in the samplereport that less than 20% of their employeesworked from home before lockdown. However,since lockdown, the majority (54.7%) ofmanagers report that now over 80% of theiremployees have been working from home.Managers are much more positive about workingfrom home and flexible working since lockdown Fewer managers now believe that presenteeismand long working hours are essential to careerprogression within organisations. Beforelockdown, 57.3% of managers believed thatemployees needed to be physically present inthe workplace to progress, decreasing to 37.5%of managers since lockdown.Managers increasingly believe that workingfrom home increases productivity due to theirexperiences in lockdown. 58.6% of managerssurveyed said that working from home increasesproductivity, whereas only 44.1% agreed with thisstatement before lockdown.50.9% of surveyed managers also believe thatworking from home improved concentrationbased on their experiences of managing sincelockdown.Managers say they are more trusting of theirteams since lockdown.Manager say they are much more aware of thework-life balance issues their staff face sincelockdown.Managers believe working from home willbecome much more commonplace in the future,as company Directors have seen that it can work. Organisations have significantly increased thesupport they provide to employees workingfrom home since lockdown, particularly toolsfor working from home. For example, 80.6% ofmanagers say their organisations have suppliedcomputers and 70.1% supplied online meetingssoftware to staff. There has also been anincrease in the professional support employershave been offering, such as line managersupport, software guidance and support forwellbeing. This was particularly true for largeorganisations with 250 employees.The managers surveyed indicate that workingfrom home would be encouraged and bettersupported in the future with more jobs advertisedas available for flexible working (50.0%),improved support for working from home(70.5%), more tools to support working fromhome (71.4%) and improved support for workingfrom home by the organisation (72.7%).Managers intend to encourage more flexibleworking and homeworking in the future Since lockdown managers are supporting morerequests for flexible working, working from homeand part-time work. 70.1% percent of managerssaid they are now supporting more flexibleworking requests.Managers say organisations will continue toprovide more support and tools for workingfrom home. 72.8% of managers agree that theirorganisation will now provide improved supportfor working from home.Managers believe there will be more supportfor senior roles to be done more flexibly in thefuture. This includes senior managers beinggiven the opportunity to work from home(49.1%), utilise a job share (19.3%) and workpart-time (19.0%).
Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work Managers realise they need to managedifferently when their teams are working remotelyand recognise they may need more training to doso.Wellbeing and mental health of employees whenremote working has been a particular concernfor managers since lockdown Mangers were more likely to say that workingfrom home leads to isolation since lockdown withresponses rising from 46.5% before lockdown to58.7% since lockdown.Overall, 36.3% of managers report thattheir organisations have provided wellbeingcounsellors for staff and 55.7% of managersreported that their organisations providedguidance for wellbeing since lockdown.Managers felt they needed more support andguidance from their organisations on how tomanage these issues.Overall, the data included in this report shows thatworking from home has been commonplace sincelockdown and managers have faced a steep learningcurve regarding how to manage remote teams, oftenwith very little support or guidance. Despite this,managers have been pleasantly surprised about theresults with their teams generally performing reallywell during this time. While there have been someperformance issues these were generally where thiswas already an issue prior to lockdown. Due to thesepositive experiences, managers are keen to supportmore working from home and flexible working inthe future and for their organisations to develop thepolicies and process to facilitate this and give themthe training they need to manage remote workers7more effectively. It was generally recognised thatworking remotely over long periods of time can bevery isolating and that some people much preferworking in an office environment. This suggests thatin the future, organisations should seek a balance.On one hand, organisations need updated flexibleworking policies, good support and tools for thoseworking from home and properly trained managers.However, on the other hand, organisations need toretain some office space to facilitate those who wantto be office based and support group activities andevents to bring remote teams together periodicallyto avoid isolation and other issues. These findingsalso raise broader questions about the future ofwork and the impact on the broader economy andenvironment that will be of interest to policymakers.Recommendations for Policymakers andOrganisations are provided at the end of the report.
Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work8
Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work91 INTRODUCTIONThe World Health Organization declared thecoronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic onMarch 11, 2020. Comprehensive lockdowns wereannounced by governments worldwide, limiting allunnecessary travel and asking all non-essentialworkers to work from home wherever possible. Inthe United Kingdom (UK), approximately half of allemployees worked from home, at least some ofthe time, since the initial UK wide lockdown (Officeof National Statistics, 2020). By comparison, theEuropean Working Conditions Survey in 2015found that only one in six employees in the UKworked from home at least several times a month(Chung & van der Lippe, 2018). A previous survey ofemployees during lockdown showed 86% of thosesurveyed worked from home during lockdown, with70% doing flexitime (flexible starting and endingtimes of work). This same survey also showed thatapproximately 55.1% planned to apply to work fromhome post lockdown with a further 10.5% undecided(Chung, Seo, Forbes, & Birkett, 2020). It is clear thatlockdown has led to widespread working from homein a very short space of time and often in sectorswhere working from home was not previously thenorm. These changes in working practices, duringthe pandemic, have provided an opportunity toconsider how managers’ and organisations’ attitudestowards working from home and flexible workingfor the future have developed. These changesare important because, if they endure, they couldpotentially have multiple consequences, which couldradically alter the future of work and significantlyimpact other aspects of our society. For example,large scale working from home in the future couldlead to changes in car use, public transport, realestate markets, access to new geographicallydispersed talent pools, gender equality and thedivision of unpaid work in the home, gender equalityin the workplace, urban planning and impacts onancillary industries in business districts.The data underpinning this report was gatheredthrough a national survey conducted betweenlate-July and mid-August of 2020. The surveywas undertaken with UK line managers, exploringtheir attitudes and support as well as generalnorms around working from home since the initiallockdown period. The overall aim of this researchis to explore managers experiences of managingemployees before and since lockdown as well ashow perceptions and attitudes towards working fromhome and flexible working may have changed sincethe lockdown. The report is designed to provideinsights for organisations and policymakers aboutlikely changes in ways of working and the labourmarket in the future due to the experiences gainedsince lockdown. Recommendations for Policymakersand Organisations are provided at the end of thereport.
Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work102 PATTERNS OF HOMEWORKING BEFOREAND SINCE LOCKDOWNWorking from home has become much moreprevalent since the COVID-19 lockdown andemployees’ attitudes to flexible working andworking from home have also changed, with 55.1%planning to request some kind of flexible workingarrangements on their return to work once lockdownmeasures end (Chung, Seo, Forbes, & Birkett,2020). Managers in a variety of sectors have notbeen supportive of working from home in the pastand employees working from home have oftensuffered a flexible working stigma (Williams, BlairLoy & Berdahl, 2013; Chung, 2020).When managers were asked why they had notpermitted employees to work from home beforethe COVID-19 lockdown (see Figure 1), the mostprevalent reason given was the nature of the workbeing done with 23.2% of managers stating thatit was not be possible for employees to work fromhome in these roles. This mirrors the findings ofprevious representative surveys across the UK,such as the Work Employment Relations Survey(Wanrooy et al., 2013). A lack of support fromupper management/ the organisation (15.4%) andperceived difficulty in managing employees not in theoffice (11.7%) were also prevalent reasons offered.Closer inspection of Figure 1 reveals that thoseworking outside London (usual workplace outsideof lockdown) were less supportive of working fromhome compared to those that worked in Londonbefore lockdown.Figure 1. Percentage of managers reporting reason why employees/ more employees were notworking from home before lockdown by manager’s work location
Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of workFigure 2 reveals that managers are now routinelymanaging people who are working from home. Themajority (58.2%) of managers in the sample reportedthat less than 20% of their employees worked from11home before lockdown. However, since lockdown,the majority (54.7%) of managers reported that nowover 80% of their employees have been workingfrom home.Figure 2. Managers reporting the percentage of employees working from home before andduring since the COVID-19 lockdown
Managing employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work123 SUPPORTING WORKING FROM HOMEMany organisations are providing extra supportfor those working from homeOrganisations generally supplied employees workingfrom home with some tools to support them, prior tolockdown. However, this has significantly increasedsince lockdown, as can be seen in Figure 3. Themajority of managers reported that prior to lockdowntheir organisations supplied employees working fromhome with a computer (62.7%) but this increased to80.6% since lockdown with 43.7% even providingemployees with a second computer screen/monitor.In addition, 33.0% of managers reported that theirorganisation supplied employees working from homewith a work chair since lockdown, compared to only8.7% prior to lockdown. Access to online meetingssoftware, such as Skype, Microsoft Teams andZoom, has also increased with 70.1% of managersreporting that their organisation supplied these typesof software since lockdown compared to only 40.2%prior to lockdown. Similarly, 46.0% of managersreported that their organisation supplied employeeswith headphones since lockdown compared to26.7% prior to lockdown. These findings all suggestthat organisations are providing more support foremployees working from home to ensure productivitylevels are maintained.Figure 3. Percentage of managers reporting tools supplied by their organisation to employ
as available for flexible working (50.0%), improved support for working from home (70.5%), more tools to support working from home (71.4%) and improved support for working from home by the organisation (72.7%). Managers intend to encourage more flexible working and homeworking in
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