Employers Move to Reopen Offices as COVID-19 Restrictions Relax
As the rate of vaccinations in the United States increases, despite the rapidly increasing spread of the delta variant, Blank Rome’s recently released COVID-19 Employer Survey suggests that the nation’s employers are making their way back to “business as usual.”
According to the survey, which includes data collected between July 7-16, more than 75% of employers are relaxing or lifting COVID-19-related safety protocols, and about 37% of employers said their company had already returned to “business as usual.”
The survey, released this week, includes responses from in-house counsel, C-suite executives and human resources representatives at over 150 companies.
Employers have had to remain nimble as they navigated unprecedented challenges amid multiple spikes in the spread of the coronavirus, with some opting for long-term hybrid work options.
Nearly 30% of survey respondents said their offices are fully back to work with minor exceptions, and 25% said their offices are open with optional on-site presence. Various hybrid work models account for nearly 31% of responses.
“I’ve been very impressed by employers’ adaptability and trying to be creative to bridge the gap in some of these areas, and to make sure that people are interacting regularly and are communicating regularly through other means,” Susan Bickley, chair of Blank Rome’s Houston office and partner in the firm’s labor and employment practice, said in an interview. “Everybody was sort of hoping that this was a more short-term solution and so they’re incorporating some of these more creative ideas and adaptations that they’ve made on a more long-term basis, as this delta variant has continued to pose a risk.”
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“Employers Move to Reopen Offices as COVID-19 Restrictions Relax,” by Trudy Knockless was published in Corporate Counsel on August 17, 2021.
