Site Logo

Lack of support during furlough impacted employee happiness and loyalty

According to the survey, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of KnowBe4, almost a third of respondents (28%) feel less loyal to their employer post-furlough. Of these individuals, 70 per cent conceded to either not feeling supported by their employer, receiving little to no information or guidance prior to returning to work and/or did not receive regular communications from them. 

Upon returning to work, a third (33%) of respondents experienced feelings of stress and anxiety. Equally, a third (33%) admitted to feeling happy and excited. Remarkably, 40 per cent of respondents within the Education industry mostly felt stressed/anxious when resuming with work, as opposed to just under a quarter (24%) of respondents in the Travel and Transport industry. Of those feeling stressed/anxious, over half (57%) did not feel supported by their employer, received little to no information or guidance and/or were not in regular communication with them. Conversely, nearly half (49%) of those who expressed happiness/excitement claimed to feel supported by their employer. This is closely followed by 43 per cent who received regular communications, and 35% who received ample information and guidance. 

Javvad Malik, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4 said, "there is no doubt that there are a myriad of factors that will influence how employees feel when they go back to work. Nevertheless, how employers respond can be instrumental in alleviating feelings of stress and help in cultivating a happier and more loyal workforce. 

"This is an important consideration, not solely for the general well-being of employees or an organisation's overall performance, but for their security, too. If loyalties towards an organisation begins to diminish, the business faces a greater risk of falling victim to an insider threat; malicious or otherwise. The employee may neglect to keep their corporate devices and passwords secure as they lose their sense of responsibility, for example, or they may just outright take company data to a competitor."

In general, over a third of the UK's returning workforce did receive regular communications from their employer (35%), a third (33%) felt supported during the furlough period, 28 per cent felt they were offered ample information and guidance and over a fifth (21%) agreed they had been given the time and space needed to get back into work.

Additionally, the study found that while on furlough, 34 per cent of respondents felt pressure either from their employer, colleagues, their clients or themselves to continue working during furlough. Of those who continued to work, 29 per cent worked both at home and from the office and 11 per cent worked in the office exclusively. 

Other key findings include:

  • 1 in 16 (6%) respondents mostly felt alienated or excluded from work colleagues when they returned to work after furlough. 
  • Almost 2 in 5 (38%) respondents in the Finance industry sector feel less loyal to their employer after the furlough period, compared to just under a fifth (19%) of respondents in the Education industry sector who said the same. 
  • A quarter (25%) of respondents felt more loyal to their employer after the furlough period. 
  • Over 3 in 5 (44%) respondents feel the same amount of loyalty to their employer after the furlough period. 

The Censuswide study was conducted in November 2020 with 1,000 UK employees who had been put on furlough at some point during the pandemic.

More News
1 month ago
How to prepare for the new changes to employment laws
Employment laws are due an overhaul in April, with changes to flexible working, request amends, and protection for new parents and carer's leave, among other changes. Vivek Dodd, CEO of Skillcast, warns that failure to comply could result in serious consequences.
1 month ago
British Safety Council Keep Thriving workshop to take place in Cardiff
As part of its charitable work, British Safety Council is offering SMEs and micro-sized organisations in Cardiff the chance to attend a 3-hour workshop, delivered by its Being Well Together experts, completely free of charge to explore how to develop a well-being strategy.
1 month ago
Mitel appoints new SVP and Head of International Region
Mitel, experts in business communications, has announced the appointment of Simon Skellon as SVP and Head of International Region.
1 month ago
VIPRE Security Group appoints new General Manager of Business Security Division
VIPRE Security Group, a cybersecurity solutions provider, has appointed Usman Choudhary as General Manager of its Business Security Division, encompassing VIPRE EDR and Advanced Threat Protection for Email, SafeSend for Email, and Inspired eLearning security awareness training.
1 month ago
Ascentae unveils smart workplace experience centre
Ascentae, a UK-based workplace solution and value-added distributor, has announced the opening of a new Experience Centre in the heart of Clerkenwell, London.
1 month ago
IT at forefront of sustainability efforts, but lacks proper tools and expertise
A report commissioned by OpenText has found that IT departments are playing a major role in achieving corporate sustainability objectives and cited the lack of innovative tools and expertise as the primary challenges they face in meeting those goals.
1 month ago
Harrison provides bespoke manufacturing services to B&Q stores
B&Q set out to find a partner that could provide a range of display components, including a new-look dump bin. While the products had already been designed by B&Q, Harrison was invited to tender for the project at a later date.
1 month ago
Leyard Europe LED supports new educational exhibition
A 4K CarbonLight VX LED screen from Leyard Europe forms the heart of a new inspirational and educational exhibition at the headquarters of the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL), Europe’s flagship laboratory for research into life sciences.
1 month ago
Crawley Town Centre BID invests in AI visitor behaviour platform
Crawley BID has invested in Place Informatics Visitor Behaviour Platform to help understand, manage, and improve town centre services and events.
1 month ago
Viking re-establishes presence in Ireland
Office supplies reseller Viking is re-establishing its presence in Ireland with the opening of a distribution centre in Dublin, the development of a local sales team, and the creation of a local customer service centre.

Login / Sign up