The new normal of work – or the New Working World as we call it at Perkbox – isn’t far away. You could even argue it’s here now, as businesses try and find new ways of working which keep their employees happy, healthy and productive.

We’re fascinated by the potential of this change at Perkbox and have been busy surveying thousands of employees and hundreds of employers to find out how the events of 2020 have affected workplace wellbeing across the UK.

We’ve found the good:

• 95% of businesses took measures to support the wellbeing of furloughed staff
• 52% of small businesses implemented emotional wellbeing solutions during the pandemic
• 51% of non-office-based businesses say they’ll invest more in wellbeing after coronavirus

And the bad:

• 58% of employees say their emotional wellbeing has been negatively affected in July 2020
• 64% of employees say health and safety is their biggest return to work concern
• 61% of furloughed employees are concerned about the future security of their jobs

So when we compare the good and the bad, despite the effort and investment in workplace wellbeing, there’s yet to be a resoundingly positive effect on employees. There’s a disconnect between what employers are doing and how their workforce is feeling, and it begs the question: Are we doing enough to support the health and wellbeing of employees?

That’s why we’re so focussed on the New Working World. It’s the recognition that now more than ever, we need to put the wellbeing of our employees at the centre of how we do business. A corporate discount at the gym nearest your workplace won’t cut it anymore – employees' needs have shifted.

Coronavirus has put a spotlight on just how personal the idea of wellbeing is to each individual. For some, it was having access to online video workouts, and for others, it was having the right work/life balance to be able to homeschool their children. Where we work has changed too. Homes have become offices and those interacting with people have had to completely change their way of working.

When you start to add up all of these variables, it’s easy to see why getting workplace wellbeing right will be such a challenge. And it’s the businesses who take action now who’ll thrive in the months and years ahead.

Our recommendation is to benchmark the concerns of your workforce against the findings in our recent workplace wellbeing report and identify the areas which your business is falling short on. If you want to make the New Working World work for you, it’s more important than ever to speak to and survey your employees to see what support they need right now.

Only then can we begin to start providing employees with exactly what they need to create the best possible employee experience for them as we enter the New Working World.