may2021 - 18

FEATURE
How Working Conditions and Attitudes
Have Changed Due to the Pandemic
By Isaac M. O'Bannon
AT A TIME of economic, professional and personal disruption, worker optimism
offers hope for the world of work, according to a new research report on the
global workforce. One year into the pandemic, ADP Research Institute's study,
" People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View, " serves as a barometer
of how the global workforce feels, how they have coped thus far, and delivers
insight into workers' perspectives about the future.
ADP Research Institute surveyed more than
32,000 adult workers, including the gig economy,
in 17 countries to understand employee sentiment.
Though attitudes and behaviors vary depending on
location and local policies, the report details the
impact on employees over the past year across five
key dimensions of working life: worker confidence
and job security, workplace conditions, pay and
performance, worker mobility, and gender and
family.
" In the past year business-as-usual has been
suspended, forcing employers and workers to
rethink accepted norms and adapt quickly to an
uncertain and fast-changing world, " said Nela Richardson,
chief economist, ADP. " COVID-19's impact
on job loss and change has been uneven, and those
who held their jobs are facing unexpected choices,
compromises, and even opportunities. We set out to
understand how the pandemic continues to shape
workers' opinions and attitudes so employers can
better understand the shift in employee mindset
as they navigate the path forward. "
The following are key takeaways from the
report:
WORKER CONFIDENCE
Optimism is shaken yet persistent: COVID-19 has
dented worker sentiment: Although the majority
(86%) of workers still say they feel optimistic about
the next five years in the workplace, this is down
from 92% last year. While overall optimism may be
the long-term outlook, it is uneven among workers,
specifically among new entrants in the workforce.
* Nearly four in five (78%) Generation Z (18-24 years old)
workers feel their professional lives are affected and
two in five (39%) report they lost jobs, were furloughed,
or suffered a temporary layoff from their employer.
* Optimism among Generation Z has fallen substantially
(to 83% from 93%) - more than any other generation.
* Fears of job insecurity have compelled three quarters
of respondents (76%) to take on extra tasks, longer
hours or a heavier workload.
WORKPLACE CONDITIONS
Unpaid overtime soars, empowerment rises on
flexible working: With concerns around job security
looming large, nearly half (46%) of global respondents
have taken on additional responsibilities at work,
either to compensate for colleagues losing their roles
or - particularly when it comes to essential workers
(55%) - to cope with the extra workload COVID-19
has created.
* Unpaid overtime has jumped sharply to 9.2 hours per
week on average, up from 7.3 hours just a year ago.
* Since the pandemic began, there has been a sharp
increase in workers (67%) who say they feel empowered
to take advantage of flexible working arrangements at
their companies, up from 26% before the pandemic.
EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
Pandemic puts employee performance in the
spotlight: Workers admit the changes have offered
opportunities to develop new skills or embark on
new career paths they find satisfying or that unlock
their potential.
* More than one-in-four workers (28%) took on a new role
or changed roles due to job losses in their organization.
Generation Z workers had to be the most agile, with
more than one in three (36%) having changed roles or
taken on a new one.
* There are positives: Most employees have been
rewarded financially for their commitment, with
nearly seven in ten (68%) having received a pay raise
or a bonus.
WORKER MOBILITY
Workers are on the move: Within a year, COVID-19
has significantly impacted workers' locations. Three
18 MAY 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
quarters (75%) of the global workforce made changes
or plan to change how or where they live, even more
(85%) among Generation Z.
* More than half (54%) say they are more interested in
contract work since COVID-19, the main reasons being
they believe there are new opportunities for them to
perform contract work (35%) or because they have
learned new skills that they can apply to contract
work (32%).
* Older workers are most open to the idea of shifting into
contract work (29% of over 55-year-olds and 22% of 45 to
54-year-olds), followed by Generation Z (19%).
* However, the majority of workers (83%) would still opt for
a permanent, traditional job rather than contract work,
a proportion that is relatively unchanged since last year.
GENDER AND FAMILY
* Half of respondents (52%) believe employers accommodating
the needs of working parents will cease
within a year, something likely to weigh heavily in
future decisions, as 15% of working parents report
they or a member of their household has already
stopped working voluntarily, rising to 26% for those
with children under one.
* Two thirds (67%) say they have been forced to make a
compromise between their work and their personal
life because of the impact of the pandemic, especially
for women and parents.
* Women are also less likely than men to receive a bonus
or pay raise for taking on additional work or changing
roles, with the greatest gap in North America, where
62% of men received a bonus or pay raise for changes
to their roles, compared to only 50% of women.
For a more detailed look and to download ADP
Research Institute's report, " People at Work 2021: A
Global Workforce View, " visit ADPRI.org. ■
http://www.ADPRI.org http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
may2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of may2021
