COVID-19 "Taking Your Talent Pulse" Weekly Results
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As the COVID-19 pandemic changes the way we all live and work, we want to understand how your priorities and attitudes are evolving. Over the next few months, we are conducting weekly, Talent Pulse surveys and invite you to respond. If you have responded previously, please retake our survey as we are tracking aggregate changes over time.
Below are the aggregate, anonymous results. Please note we only surveyed HR professionals, and our sample size is too small to be representative of the population. However, we hope these results help you make sense of the world and enlighten you as to what your colleagues are experiencing.
UPDATED: May 29. 2020
The research team is in the process of analyzing the survey and interview data. We will present our findings during this webcast on July 14, 2020. Register and join us to receive a copy of the research report.
UPDATED: May 22, 2020
Selected Open-Ended Comments:
My company has gone through an INCREDIBLE amount of change aside from COVID and done an amazing job of communicating with candor and clarity to our employees and trying to be positive when appropriate while still being realistic. I'm VERY impressed with how my company is supporting our employees in these uncertain times.
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I am battling with being grateful for being employed vs knowing that we aren’t doing our best keeping our employees healthy.
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Curious to see results of this. More curious to know what companies are planning to do.
View May 22th Selected Findings
UPDATED: May 17, 2020
Selected Open-Ended Comments:
I have been so impressed with how my company has handled the pandemic. I truly do believe we've been one of the best. This week was a hard week for me, though. Felt burned out.
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It is my hope that organizations learn from this experience and be more engaged with staff...Everyone should be supported and feel safe and not worry about retaliation.
UPDATED: May 10, 2020
Selected Open-Ended Comments:
Our business is one that has been completely stopped. The executive team remains committed to weekly Q&A session covering everything from financial current/future to operations and people. It's an incredible effort, genuine, and needed.
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Our new normal is not normal at all. We have made masks, delivered bread, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and now meat to employees who work for us.
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I would be very happy to know exit strategies for COVID-19
Findings:
- The return to work is the latest unknown variable to deal with. There has been a ten percentage point drop in the statement "I am confident in my ability to respond to changes at work this week."
- Business continuity, production, and operations remain the top priority for organizations.
UPDATED: May 1, 2020
Selected Open-Ended Comments:
Response to COVID-19 due to uncoordinated and conflicting guidance from local, state, and federal government has been difficult to plan appropriately.
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Generally, I believe my organization is doing a good job of managing and implementing flexible working arrangements to ensure the health and safety of its employees.
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Peoples true colors do show during times of crisis. They are either self centered or a team player.
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Overall, I would say there is more positivity than a few weeks back.
UPDATED: April 24, 2020
Selected Open-Ended Comments:
It seemed that everyone I spoke with had a good week. We were finally able to focus on our jobs it seemed. The last few weeks have been a lot of 'what are we going to do now?' This week was a welcome change of pace.
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We wish to keep our employees motivated and look for ways to see when can we safely begin working/reopen business operations.
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The work load and stress levels are starting to level off as we better understand the new laws and regulations.
Preliminary Findings:
- Adjustment to new normal. From last week, more HR respondents agree with "I have successfully managed my workload this week" and "It has been easy to focus on my job tasks this week" (10-point increases).
- There is an increased focus on planning and operations compared to when the pandemic first started.
UPDATED: April 17, 2020
Selected Open-Ended Comments:
Working with an executive team that does not have true leadership capabilities is frustrating and demoralizing.
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Things have seemed 'quieter' this week, but I think upper management still needs to be doing more communication than they are.
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Hope this doesn't last much longer. Long-term remote working is not for me.
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I am moving even more quickly towards the virtual environment being more of the future normal.
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Sunny days are better work days. When it is cloudy, rainy, generally glummy it is harder to have a positive outlook. This is having more impact that prior to Covid.
UPDATED: April 14, 2020
Selected Open-Ended Comments:
I haven’t worked as many hours as I have the past few weeks in 25 years.
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As each week goes on, I'm feeling a little less connected. Although I'm in contact with my employees and my boss virtually, I miss the important in-person conversations with my peers.
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It feels like things have shifted this week; that the 'new normal' we were talking about two weeks ago has started to appear. The workload is still crushing.
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Every single day brings challenges to leadership in trying to assess what to do from here. With the state implementing new rules almost daily and the federal CARES Act passing, it presents new challenges.
Preliminary Findings:
- There has been a shift from an overwhelming focus on employees' and clients' physical health and safety in the early weeks of the crisis to the government bailout and relief measures.
- Well-being and mental health are emerging as concerns. And, a little over half of HR respondents were optimistic about their work this week.
- The ability to focus on work has been increasing as we adjust to our new "normal." Also, more of our HR respondents report they can manage their workloads in week four compared to previous weeks.
- HR respondents continue to report that their relationships and communications with co-workers are strong.
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