Businesses Put People First as Singapore Prepares to Return to the Workplace after COVID-19: Aon�s Pulse Survey

SINGAPORE – Media
OutReach – 12 May 2020 – A new pulse
survey from Aon plc (NYSE:
AON), a leading global professional
services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions,
explores how companies in Singapore are planning to resume operations while
protecting their employees. The survey addresses some of the key workforce
concerns and decisions for companies looking to set the stage for a return to the
workplace and establish a new normal in a post-COVID-19 world.

Aon conducted the survey, “Setting the Stage for
Return to Work and the New Normal,” from April 28 to May 1,
2020. This follows a previous study that was conducted from April 7 to April 10,
2020.

Return-to-workplace strategies

As business leaders begin to determine how and when
to start the complex process of returning to the workplace, protecting people and
supporting business continuity emerged as the top human capital priority for
89% and 83% of the companies surveyed, respectively.

 

A large majority of companies (89%) said they will
defer to the government’s guidance for work-sites when developing a safe
return-to-workplace strategy, while 83% will look at advice from health
agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO). Half the companies
surveyed said they will also leverage their internal experts to prepare for the
situation.

 

As before, companies will continue to widely implement
temperature screening. One-third of the respondents have either implemented or
have considered implementing a formal COVID-19 assessment programme for staff,
while one-third would prefer health assessment surveys.

 

Alexander Krasavin, Partner, Radford and Regional Commercial
Head, APAC & MEA at Aon, said, “The first signs of the significant impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy are just beginning to emerge.
Business leaders are grappling with challenges that affect every aspect of
their organisation. They must make well-considered decisions on returning to the
workplace that will not only protect their balance sheets but also their
people. The human capital decisions businesses make now will shape the future
of work and indeed their organisations.”

 

Supporting Employees

Companies are considering ways in
which to put their people first and taking measures to supplement their support
programmes and leave benefits for their employees.

 

• 76% of companies are providing scheduling flexibility to employees with
  children (compared to 69% in the previous survey).
• 54% of companies (compared to 33% in the previous survey) are allowing
  employees to use sick leave for COVID-19-related quarantines (in addition to
  what is required by law).
• 36% of companies (compared to 16% in the previous survey) are allowing
  employees to use sick leave to care for children when they are off from school
  (in addition to what is required by law).
• 24% of companies are providing as-needed payments or equipment purchases
  to assist employees with work-from-home arrangements.
• 21% of companies are providing temporary increases in sick leave
  entitlements (e.g., special “pandemic leave”).

In addition, 12% of companies have also
implemented additional compensation programmes for employees in higher-risk
roles, with another 6% actively considering such measures.

Looking Ahead

When asked how the experience of
responding to the COVID-19 pandemic might change future workforce strategies,
32% of the companies surveyed acknowledged the need to review their operations
and said they are considering a long-term restructuring of their operations and
workforce.

About the Survey

Aon conducted the survey, “Setting the Stage for Return to
Work and the New Normal,” from April
28 to May 1, 2020. A total of 1,970 companies around the world responded, with
375 respondents from Singapore. The complete study results are available here.

The
survey followed an initial study, “Adjusting
Total Rewards Programs and Workforce Strategies in Response to COVID-19,”
conducted from April 7 to April 10, 2020. The results are available here.

About Aon

Aon plc (NYSE:
AON) is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad
range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Our 50,000 colleagues in
120 countries empower results for clients by using proprietary data and
analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance.

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