Lounge, how do you view this workplace COVID-era thinking?
We've been WFH since March 2020, all locations deemed essential so either on site at a plant or at home in a home office, working more hours than when we were in the office. Throughout that period, we focused on all the common steps to avoid COVID transmission. We made it through with relatively few cases.
This summer, we have heavily promoted vaccines and strongly encouraged our employees to get vaccinated. Site vaccination rates remain low, with a few exceptions.
Today, each of our locations is in a county that has been deemed "high" transmission, the highest level, due to Delta. The CDC and others have stated that those who are vaccinated can get COVID and spread it was easily as those who are unvaccinated, however, symptoms are less severe for vaccinated people.
We are scheduled to return to office after Labor Day, assuming that plan remains in place. We likely will require regular testing of unvaccinated people, and 100% masks (again).
Question: If execs stick with returning after Labor Day, are they basically saying that returning to the office is now a higher priority than stopping COVID transmission? Because wouldn't the first move to prevent transmission be to keep people at home who can work from home, to remove risk? Or am I overreacting, and between being vaccinated, and wearing masks, Delta risk is acceptable for all of us to be 6 feet or less away from each other in groups of 20-30 in basically a sealed building? TIA.
|
Posted: 08/12/2021 at 1:51PM