As the coronavirus has irrevocably changed the world of work, around 93% of India Inc. employees are anxious to return to office post-lockdown, according to a recent survey.

The pandemic has left all of India Inc.’s professionals anxious on several accounts. While a majority, 59% are concerned about their health, 25% said they are anxious about their financial situation, while 16% fear that the crisis will be a prolonged one and this uncertainty lends to high anxiety.

FYI, a health-tech community product, undertook a first of its kind survey conducted by MindMap Advance Research to assess the anxiety level of employees and record a strong desire to do what’s right by their co-workers by complying to new health monitoring compliances, along with a high degree of awareness of changes in routine that await them.

The survey suggested that employees expect their employers to take responsibility to ensure a healthy and safe environment for them.

The new normal of a post pandemic world has raised the expectations employees have of their employer towards their health. All employee polled, an overwhelming 99% said that they would like to see a system of Corporate Health Responsibility (CHR) made mandatory for employers, just like there is in force a system of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Nearly 85% expect their employers to sanitize the office space, implement and enforce safety guidelines and advisories and seek out new and innovative ways to protect their health while they are in the office.

These expectations are balanced by a recognition among employees that it would require them to participate in efforts that employers take to make their health a priority. Around 82% said that they would agree to participate in measures that require them to be monitored, while 18% said that they would comply if the privacy of their data was assured. A high sense of solidarity and doing the right thing by their co-workers emerges strongly among employees, with 96% confirming that they would embrace and comply with health monitoring initiatives, despite the inconvenience.

Employees expect the new normal to bring changes and are cognizant of what these could be. 81% said that employees would resume work only in batches, while 73% expect employers to enforce work from home as an ongoing process.

A post pandemic world offers employers an opportunity to win the hearts of their employees and customers by deploying stronger solutions for the overall wellbeing of their workforce, said a majority of the respondents. While 81% of employees strongly feel this will be the case, 16% said that this has always been an expectation, regardless of recent events.

“It may be an understatement to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way we live and work. This event has very quickly served as a tipping point to unprecedented change in the mind-set and attitudes of people, to both life and work. Our survey informs India Inc. of the new priorities they would need to juggle when it comes to the health and safety of their employees. India Inc. employees are clearly stressed on account of their health and that needs to be managed on priority. Evidence supports the fact that happier and secure employees are more productive and perform their jobs better while those under stress, perform worse”, said Yeishan Goel, Cofounder, FYI.