Workers Are Feeling Disposable
A survey from DeVry University found 36% of nearly 1,000 U.S. workers believe their employers view them as disposable, based on the company’s actions since the start of the pandemic. Read more.
Keeping an Eye on Employees
Analysis by Gartner ascertained that 16% of employers are using technologies more frequently to monitor employees working virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic than they did before. Those respondents said they use such methods as virtual clocking in and out, tracking work computer usage and monitoring employee emails or internal communications. Read more.
Bulking Up Benefits in a Pandemic
Recent WorldatWork/i4cp research found 44% of employers indicating that they have adapted their benefits plans to include clauses and policies that address coverage during a pandemic. In addition, 64% of organizations said they have prioritized full coverage for COVID-19 testing. Read more.
Trust Issues Coming out of COVID-19
Only 14% of 3,400 employees said they are confident in CEOs’ and senior managers’ ability to ensure a safe return to the workplace in the wake of COVID-19, according to research from global communications company Edelman. Read more.
“Historically, rates for job seekers relocating for new positions have been trending down since the mid-1990s,” said Andrew Challenger, senior vice president at Challenger, Gray &Christmas. “However, the recent spike in the second quarter coincides with increased homebuying amid low interest rates. It also indicates job seekers may have been quick to accept positions outside their current geographic allocation, as uncertainty gripped the economy.”
Hotel Denies Leave to Employees Requiring Quarantine
After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, the Best Western Plus Wichita Hotel must pay $5,693 in back wages for wrongly denying paid sick leave to 13 of the hotel’s employees who were required to quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus. Investigators concluded that Best Western Plus Wichita violated the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Read more.
COVID-19’s Impact on Dress Codes
More than half of employees (52%) say that, while working from home in the midst of COVID-19, they still have to abide by a dress code that was instituted before the pandemic. Moreover, 30% of employees working for a company with a “business professional” dress code said they still have to wear that attire while working remotely. Read more.
NRF Foundation Creates COVID-19 Training
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the National Retail Federation has launched a credential program designed to assist retailers in meeting state and local requirements for COVID-19 trainings, and help retail employees recognize COVID-19 symptoms, take appropriate actions if exposed and understand Centers for Disease Control and Prevention best health practices and tools used in retail. Read more.
COVID-19 Causes More Job Seekers to Relocate
More job seekers are relocating for job opportunities in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. In a survey of more than 3,000 respondents, 7.5% of job seekers reported relocating for employment in the second quarter of 2020, compared to 3.8% of job seekers who did the same in the year’s first quarter. Read more.
“What we see is that work moved home, and now women are thinking about leaving work.
…We’ve talked for years about the double shifts. And what we’re seeing now is a double shift, but an even bigger load,” said Lareina Yee, chief diversity and inclusion officer at McKinsey.”
Women Considering Career Downshifts
A study conducted by LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Co. says the coronavirus pandemic could undo years of women’s gains in the workplace. According to the study of 317 companies representing more than 12 million employees, at least one in four women are considering downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce because of COVID-19. Read more.
Considering Staggered Workforce Strategies
A recent Mercer survey found 56% of companies are adopting a staggered return-to-the-workplace strategy that allows for greater social distancing. For example, many are splitting employees into shifts by specific criteria, such as alphabetically by last names, to determine who is working on site on certain days. Read more.
Michigan Employers Immune from COVID-19 Lawsuits
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently signed bills that allow employees with COVID-19 symptoms to stay home and which grant immunity to employers from lawsuits filed by workers or customers who contract the coronavirus, as long as the company is following federal, state and local safety laws. Read more.
