Employee Perceptions in the COVID Era

I recently came across this April - May research from Karian and Box about two topics I enjoy greatly — leadership perceptions and workplace perceptions among employees. The research is UK based but found as I suspected that employees (68%) have a fairly positive view of how the CEOs of their own companies are handling the coronavirus and the workforce. It is important to always remind oneself that if you ask employees what they think of CEOs in general, confidence ratings will be lower. When you ask people about their own CEO, something they know about more specifically, confidence ratings are usually higher because employees have more direct experience. A 68% rating is good news for CEO reputations considering the usual circumstances we are in.

What surprised me, however, is that nearly one quarter of employees said that they would like to explore working from home if remote working becomes the new normal. This development is definitely a phenomenon that employers will have to anticipate in the near future. Should CEOs and other business leaders give employees the option to work remotely? Should companies ask for volunteers for remote working? Does remote working help or hinder careers since we all know that face to face interaction matters? What is the best ratio of work at home/work from the office? Will your reputation as an employee be enhanced or harmed if you volunteer to work from home?

A whole new brave new world ahead.