Nearly three quarters of UK employees currently working from home say they would feel more comfortable returning to the workplace if colleagues had been vaccinated against Covid-19, a recent study by recruitment company, Randstad has found.

It showed that 78% want to go back to the workplace at least partially, and 87% would be willing to get vaccinated if it is required for their job.

There is a strong public health argument to ensuring that your colleagues are vaccinated before you enter a shared workspace, at least until we achieve herd immunity and cases are low in the surrounding areas. Another survey by Glassdoor suggests this, as a poll of 2,000 workers found that more than half of employees (56%) believe Covid vaccinations should be made mandatory for workers returning to the office.

Working from home for over a year has divided employees with some keen to return to the office as soon as possible, and many happy to continue working from home, or a hybrid of the two. A lack of physical interaction with colleagues, feelings of isolation and the need to strike a healthier work-life balance however are key factors behind employees’ desire to return to work stated by Randstad. With 52% of employees saying they missed in-person interaction with colleagues, and a fifth said their productivity had been affected negatively by working remotely. Concurring with similar surveys and in line with recent announcements by major employers, 56% of respondents said they enjoyed having a hybrid work set-up where they were in charge of where they worked.

With the vaccination programme in the UK now on offer to all over 40’s, it’s a great positive step back towards normality, however it is unsurprising that a large proportion of people will not feel comfortable in a communal environment until everyone has been vaccinated, with new strains developing being a potential hurdle. Indeed, the Glassdoor survey found that more than two-thirds of employees (68 per cent) also wanted social distancing measures and mask wearing to continue, even after everyone in the office had been vaccinated. So, there is clearly some way to go before the routine ease of working from an office, returns.

In the months ahead, HR teams will be pivotal in effectively consulting with the workforce, ensuring safety protocols are in place, and drafting practical and appropriate vaccination policies where appropriate prior to reopening the doors to the wider workforce. And it will be key for employers to get this right, as it will define what office life will be like, both this year and in the long term.