22nd July 2021, Hampshire – The latest survey from the UKs leading independent job board, CV-Library, reveals that more than a third (39.9%) of workers know someone that has been unable to return to work due to being required to isolate in the last four days.  

The survey of over 1,300 UK professionals aimed to understand how many workers had been affected by the isolation rules since ‘Freedom Day’ on 19th July. The study reveals that a whopping 69.8% of isolation cases were notified via the Covid-19 app.  

Lee Biggins, CEO and founder of CV-Library comments: “Keeping staff safe should be the highest priority for employers across the country. However, such huge disruptions to staffing will cause countless problems for the recovery of the UK economy. Many businesses will have to reduce operating hours – or in some cases, close – as capacity will be lower, hindering a much-needed recovery over the summer.” 

The survey found that 50% of professionals were concerned about having to isolate. Nearly 13% of employees were concerned that isolation would interfere with their work, 8.6% were concerned it would interfere with personal plans and 28.4% were worried it would interfere with both.  

As a result, 1 in 3 people (34.4%) have changed their current behaviours to avoid isolation. This includes cancelling plans with friends and even keeping school children at home until the end of term. A significant portion (32.1%) of respondents did this so they could still go on holiday in the coming weeks. 

Biggins continues: “It’s no surprise that isolation is so concerning for professionals. All of us are eager to get back to normal and enjoy meeting with friends and family – especially in this lovely weather – but 10 days of isolation could cause financial hardship for many families and ruin summer plans as schools break up. We encourage employers to offer as much support as possible to staff members that are forced to isolate.”