CPA_Practice_Advisor_June_2020 - 32

A YEAR IN THE LIFE: PAYROLL

ACCOUNTANT

Covid-Normal:
Worker Stress, Work/Life Balance and
Productivity Start to Stabilize
By Isaac M. O'Bannon, Managing Editor

AFTER DECREASING SIGNIFICANTLY in early
2020, worker confidence appears to be leveling
off despite the impact the COVID-19 pandemic
had on nearly every worker in the U.S. That's
according to a recent survey by the ADP
Research Institute.
The findings included in the report titled "A Workplace
Redefined: Employee Resilience Amid The COVID-19
Pandemic" explore employee sentiment regarding their
ability to work from home, how the pandemic affected
their productivity, their confidence about how long they may
experience the effects of the crisis, and how their employer
responded to the pandemic.

JUNE 2020 ■

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Leveraging a weekly online survey to track how work is
evolving due to COVID-19, a random sample of adults aged
18 years and older and employed in the U.S. as of March
1, 2020 was surveyed each week beginning the week of
March 16, 2020 through May 11, 2020 to understand how
they worked before the pandemic and how things have
changed for them since. In total, more than 24,000 workers
were surveyed over the course of eight consecutive weeks.

IMPACT ON WORKERS
For workers currently employed, this new "normal" has
many working remotely, forced to adjust to how they get
work done. Those required to work remotely responded
that the ability to complete tasks and connect with others
was severely impacted due to technology issues, lack of
necessary equipment to work effectively, and distractions.
In fact, one third identified fears of the virus were a barrier to productivity, while about 50% cited technology as a
significant obstacle to productivity due to issues with remote
access, internet connection and web meetings.
As the weeks went on, many workers began to report
their work/life balance, ability to complete tasks and connect with others, and personal stress levels were about the
same as the week before, rather than consistently declining from week to week. However, despite workers' ability
to adapt to new circumstances, the research uncovered
that these markers of productivity do not appear to have
returned to pre-pandemic levels.
As with all aspects of day-to-day life during the
pandemic, employees indicated a substantial amount of
uncertainty - as well as a bit of optimism - regarding their
overall outlook. Following an initial decline in employee job
confidence, the research shows an increase in employees'
confidence, with nearly 70% of workers now expecting to
retain their jobs for at least the next month. Concerns over
personal finances appear to be short term as well, with a
majority of workers (58%) expecting their finances to return
to previous levels in less than six months, even for those
not working right now, with very little difference among
those who reported job loss or furlough and those who did
not. While some experienced changes in pay relative to
March 1, those changes have begun to reverse in the weeks
following, potentially reflecting more are returning to work.

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CPA_Practice_Advisor_June_2020

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