Real estate faces employee anxiety over office returns

Employee anxiety about returning to the office is set to present a fresh wellbeing challenge for companies – as well as their landlords. The government’s roadmap for ending Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, published in February, says that people should work at home if possible until at least late June. Wellbeing and mental health experts say that many people are now voicing concerns about the lifting of that guidance, including worries over commuting, sharing office space and the possibility of contracting the virus.   LionHeart, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ charity, has been handling a growing number of calls to its helpline from people anxious about returning to the office, says head of operations Juliet Smithson. The organisation has seen the total volume of calls to its helpline requesting counselling rise by some 15% in recent months, she added. “People are hearing news from the likes of British Airways, HSBC and Nationwide which is all about agile and hybrid ways of working. But they’re also hearing voices like Goldman Sachs with very different messages,” Smithson said.  “People need clarity. If they are expected back in the office then they need time to plan that. Conversely, if hybrid working is here to stay then people need that news in a timely way too – so that they can plan their new normal, or perhaps even work out which of their new lifestyle habits they can keep.” Victoria Hill, a former real estate professional who now runs Promind, a coaching business for property companies focused on mental health, said worries about returning to the office are “seniority agnostic”, and can include concerns about the individual’s performance during the pandemic as well as fear over the return to a social environment.  “Most of the people I coach are relatively senior, but there are some emerging leaders and rising stars,” she said. “This topic has come up across the board, particularly since the easing of lockdown was announced.” Hill recommends individuals worried over the return take steps to reacquaint themselves with the office. That might involve making a “dry run” of the commute or arranging to meet a close colleague for a coffee before heading into the office. “Spend a little reflection time trying to pinpoint what it is specifically that is causing your anxiety,” she added. “That should inform your practical strategies.”     At law firm Irwin Mitchell, Joanne Moseley, a practice development lawyer in the employment team, said employees do not have to return to the workplace if they have a “reasonable belief” that it poses a serious and imminent threat to them or others.  “We saw an increase in the numbers of staff who refused to return to work during the height of the pandemic who were, understandably, very worried about catching or passing on Covid – particularly if they had underlying health risks that made them vulnerable to the virus,” Moseley said. “But as infection rates go down and more people become vaccinated, the risks should lessen. Employees may find it more difficult to refuse to return to a physical workplace, without consequences, where their employers have put in place all recommended ‘Covid secure’ procedures and conducted specific risk assessments for those with underlying health conditions and made any adjustments to how or where they work to protect them.” That responsibility of the occupier and landlord to ensure their buildings are safe and supportive for returning staff plays into a broader trend of prioritising wellbeing in the built environment, said Beth Ambrose, a director in JLL’s ESG team. In a multi-tenant building, she added, the role of the landlord is crucial. “In a multi-let building there’s much more control the landlord would have over the space,” Ambrose said. “Even in a building where the tenant has full operational control, the design of it to start with would be the developer’s responsibility. It’s good to see that so many developers are now thinking ‘we need to make sure the building is suitable for the occupier’s wellbeing’.” To send feedback, e-mail tim.burke@egi.co.uk or tweet @_tim_burke or @estatesgazette Image © Alex Lentati/LNP/Shutterstock