It seems workplace disruption continues to be the new normal amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Conference Board, a nonprofit/nonpartisan think tank, recently surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. workers and found that 71% of their companies had either rescheduled or canceled return-to-the-office plans, or were back in the workplace only to revert to remote/hybrid models due to recent COVID surges, such as the omicron variant. 

The study also found that only 9% of employees are in the physical office full-time. Forty-six percent are fully remote, while 45% work a hybrid schedule, with some days in-office and other days at home.

Meanwhile, COVID fears among workers have heightened. According to the survey, 48% of respondents said that exposing family members to COVID-19 is among their greatest concerns in returning to the office. In May 2021, only 28% had that concern. Similarly, 48% of respondents said that contracting COVID themselves was a chief worry; that was up from 24% in May.

“Amid the vast uncertainty with returning to the workplace, coupled with the strong discomfort many feel about returning, these results make clear: This relentless pandemic continues to dictate workplace plans and policies,” said Rebecca Ray, executive vice president of human capital at The Conference Board.

Ray continued: “The need for continued flexibility, transparency and empathy from management remains a top priority. While many are eager to return to a sense of normalcy, simply mandating a return date and highlighting the safety protocols that will be in place are not enough; leaders need to articulate a compelling reason to return to the workplace at all.”

The pandemic is weighing on workers’ mental health, too. Some 54% of women and 41% of men reported a decline in mental health during the now two-year fight against COVID. Millennials and Gen Xers were more likely to report such issues than baby boomers.

According to the survey, nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents reported decreased levels of engagement with their job – an increase from 19% in August 2021 and 15% in May 2021. The trend demonstrates “a steady decline in engagement levels over the past eight months,” survey organizers said.

The survey defines employee engagement as a “heightened emotional and intellectual connection that an employee has for his/her job, organization, manager or co-workers that, in turn, influences him/her to apply additional discretionary effort to his/her work.”

Meanwhile, one in 10 workers plan to quit their jobs in the next six months. Better pay (45%), career advancement (39%) and the ability to work from anywhere (28%) remain the top reasons workers left or intend to leave their jobs.