Considerations for Employers as They Contemplate a Return of Workforce

U.S. employers holding return-to-work discussions can gain insight from the experiences of employers with essential workers that remained open throughout the pandemic.

 

To gain a better understanding, Mercer surveyed U.S. employers that have remained open to find out how they have adapted to the COVID-19 business and workforce environment. Not surprisingly, the firm found that the most important safety consideration, by far, is to maintain adequate distancing. 

While nearly all employers of essential workers have made changes to ensure employees keep the proper distance from coworkers and customers, 30% say they have had problems doing so. Mercer notes that there is no one distancing solution that will work in all situations, so employers will need a plan that best suits their workplace and staffing needs.   

 

Consequently, overcoming the physical distancing challenge may also mean fewer employees in a worksite at a given time. According to Mercer’s survey, 63% of respondents planning for return to worksites are considering “staggered returns” with measures such as having employees whose last names start with A-M working on certain days and N-Z working other days. Other employers (44%) say they plan to create smaller work groups to limit the mixing of employees and groups in the workplace at the same time.

 

And with the COVID-19 pandemic still looming, 45% of responding employers with essential workers said they have had issues with employees not coming to work because they are afraid of getting sick. Not surprisingly, Mercer found that this problem is more widespread in industries like retail/wholesale (84%), manufacturing (64%) and health care (57%), where there is a higher risk of exposure. 

 

“The fact that so many employers have reported issues with employees not coming to worksites due to fear of becoming ill underscores that the first priority is to develop a comprehensive plan to keep employees safe at work,” advises Dr. David Zieg, Mercer’s Clinical Services Leader. “The second priority is to clearly communicate this plan to employees so as to allay their fears.” 

 

 

Mercer also found that while 43% of respondents with essential workers say they have conducted COVID-19 screenings and assessments on-site, only 35% of the respondents planning for return to work say they will conduct COVID-19 screening and assessments on-site—most commonly with temperature screenings (26%) and/or by administering a symptom questionnaire (20%). 

 

Additionally, even though antibody testing is receiving heightened attention, just 4% of all respondents say they are planning to conduct serology screening for antibodies. Mercer suggests that this low percentage may reflect concerns about testing reliability and that much is still unknown about immunity to COVID-19. 

Other findings show that 63% of employer respondents planning for a return to work say they will provide employees with masks. Mercer observes, however, that based on the experience of employers with essential workers, this could be challenging—37% of respondents with essential workers reported difficulty in finding enough masks to purchase. 

 

“To be an effective strategy, everyone in a worksite needs to wear a mask to ensure that any person carrying the virus without being aware of it is wearing one. That’s why it’s concerning that employers report difficulties in purchasing masks for their essential workers,” Zieg notes. “Employers should understand that general-use facemasks that improve respiratory hygiene do not need to be surgical masks or N-95 masks; those should be reserved for healthcare workers,” he emphasizes, adding that the CDC has advised that cotton masks can be used for this purpose.  

 

 

With employers facing the complexity of staggered returns, variances of testing and mask availability, Mercer notes that many have speculated that keeping non-essential workers “virtual” will be a popular and effective way for employers to ensure social distance and safety. Yet, the reality is that not all employers can, or desire, to continue virtual working arrangements. 

 

While 38% say that employees will continue to work virtually in the short-term and return to on-site working when deemed safe, only 8% say they will continue to allow most employees to continue to work virtually as much as possible, regardless of social distancing rules, the survey found. Even among high-tech companies, where virtual work was relatively common before the pandemic, only 14% say they would support long-term virtual working for all employees.

 

“History has shown that during a crisis, employers that put their people first and interact with them empathetically emerge with a much stronger and engaged workforce,” says

Susan Haberman, Senior Partner and U.S. Career Leader for Mercer. “For many employers, leading with empathy will mean accepting that not all employees will be ready to return to the worksite once it opens.” 

 

Haberman emphasizes that employers should communicate to employees the steps they have taken to ensure their safety, but also acknowledge their apprehension, whether it is about safety, family commitments or other concerns.

 

The survey results are based on responses from 735 U.S. employers that participated in a global online survey through May 6, 2020. Among the employer sizes: 37% have fewer than 500 employees; 39% have 500-4,999, and 24% have 5,000 or more. The survey opened April 20 and is ongoing.