Inflation complicates return to office
When companies were initially considering reopening for work, anticipated and expected concerns from employees included the basic less flexibility and more time in transit. Now, after a couple of months, the concerns have shifted.
The new set of concerns onset by inflation include the rising price of gas and food, especially in heavily populated commercial areas with businesses that are the hardest hit by inflation. Employees are advising one another on internal messaging apps as to where to find the cheapest gas. Security firm KnowBe4 has been trying to bring back physical work, they've offered snacks like pickles and Nutella in order to ease the transition. However, many of the company's employees still have other expenses like getting dog sitters, childcare, etc, and have informed their managers that they would prefer working from home. As a result, KnowBe4 informed its employee population of about 1,500 that they could work from home indefinitely.
HR managers of multiple firms point out how coming to work at this point is just too expensive. The RTO plans were already strained due to emerging variants of the coronavirus and the demands of an emboldened workforce, it is now being coupled with the pressures of inflation. The cost of a daily routine consisting of food, coffee, and travel is much higher now than when the offices shut. Consumer prices have increased by 8.5 percent within the last few months.
Source: The New York Times
Category
Leadership Development
Inclusion, Equity & Diversity
Workplace Security
Employment Contracts
Vendors & Software
Open Enrollment
HR Careers
Family & Medical Leave
Sexualy Harassment
Disability Benefits
Health Savings Accounts
Records & Reports
Labor Relations
Workplace Culture
Employee Conduct
Work Visas
Substance Abuse
People Management
Workplace Wellness
Employee Surveys
Privacy
Risk Management
Cybersecurity
Employment Testing
Leadership &
Emergency Response
Flexible Spending Account
Data Security
Gender Identity
Workplace Harassment
Guides
Pay Equity
Ethnicity
Hiring
Parental Leave
Environmental Health Hazards
Benefits Compliance
Trends
Hiring & Firing
Job Descriptions
Overtime Pay
Benefits
Business Acumen
Downsizing
Promotion
Ethical Practice
Termination
Organizational &
Retirement Benefits
Talent Acquisition
Tags
Article
How to Avoid Burnout in 2022
Whatever your work setting may be, it’s important to stay productive while you don’t burn out. Here ...
Gig Economy and Its Impact on Staffing Firms
With over 20.5 million US workers losing their jobs in April 2020 during the national lockdown, man ...
With Manufacturing Jobs Returning to America, What Does It Mean for Manufacturing Job Seekers?
Reshoring is on its way for the US, due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, especially for the tech man ...
COVID-19 - 6 Challenges Staffing Firms Are Likely to Face
Most industries have severely suffered in the ongoing pandemic with a few exceptions, like healthca ...
Comments