COVID-19: Poll suggests majority of B.C. workers not ready to go back to the office
Author of the article:Tiffany Crawford
Publishing date:Jun 24, 2020 •

A new poll suggests many B.C. workers are not comfortable returning to work yet during the pandemic.

A majority of British Columbians are wary of a return to the office, with most saying they’re worried about catching COVID-19 from a co-worker, a new poll suggests.

The Insights West survey found only 20 per cent of respondents said they felt very comfortable going back to the workplace, and if given a choice, 31 per cent would choose to go back to work now or in September, with 19 per cent saying they want to permanently work from home.

Most (78 per cent) said their biggest concern is catching COVID-19 from a co-worker or customer.

Forty-three per cent of those polled felt “somewhat comfortable, while 37 per cent said they were not comfortable, including 24 per cent who were “not very comfortable” and 12 per cent who were “not at all comfortable.”

Insights West found that men were more likely to feel comfortable returning to work than women, and those older than 55 were more concerned about heading back to the office than their younger counterparts.

Many (67 per cent) said they were concerned about physical distancing when it comes to common spaces like kitchens, hallways and bathrooms, while a similar number (66 per cent) were concerned about physical distance when in their actual workspace.

Given a choice, the vast majority of workers still working from home wouldn’t return to the workplace anytime soon. Only a fraction of these workers (13 per cent) would choose to go back now if it were up to them and only 18 per cent would prefer to go back in September. Most would go back when there are no more COVID-19 cases or a vaccine is developed.

Steve Mossop, president of Insights West, said he believes that the pandemic could permanently alter the way people work.

“This could have drastic implications for commercial real estate in the years to come, company team-building and socialization, and the infrastructure needed to support productivity in the workplace,” he said in a statement.

The survey of 879 B.C. residents was conducted from June 18-21. The margin of error is plus-or-minus 3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

ticrawford@postmedia.com