Some workers say bosses insist they show up despite concerns

COLUMBUS — Workers expected to show up at the office, the factory floor or the store during the coronavirus pandemic are getting worried they could get sick or spread the virus if they already have COVID-19.

Some employees say they could do their job from home but are still being expected to report to their workplace every day as if things were normal.

Workers also are complaining that their companies aren’t doing enough to keep the workplace clean.

“Everybody is super-nervous. A lot of people are afraid of being at work . ... They are basically telling us that we have to be at work,” said one central Ohio factory worker.

“I’m literally frightened by my employer’s wanton disregard for not only employee safety, but the safety of those we come in contact with,” said another worker who is in the financial industry.

The employees spoke with The Dispatch on condition of anonymity because they fear being punished for speaking out.

Workers also complained employers aren’t making accommodations for those who now have children at home because schools are closed or who have someone at home with a weak immune system that makes them more vulnerable to the virus.

“If I lose my job, I’ll find something else,” one worker said.

Employers and their workers are in unprecedented times because of the spread of COVID-19.

Many companies that can have asked workers to work from home. Restaurants, bars, gyms, barber shops, salons and schools, meanwhile, have shut down.

“Really, we’re dealing with unknowns. I know of no employer who isn’t taking all steps to make sure the workplace isn’t protected,” said Andrew Doehrel, chairman and chief executive of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

It is vital to keep production lines open for everyday items consumers need through the crisis, he said.

And one day the crisis will end, things will get back to normal, consumers will resume making normal purchases, and companies will need to have products ready for them to buy, he said.

“It’s always easy to judge what I think ought to be done,” Doehrel said.

No employer would put its workers’ health on the line or that of its workforce should the virus spread through the ranks, he said.

“With a crisis like this, I can’t imagine an employer intentionally putting people at risk,” he said. “It makes no business sense at all.”

Zach Schiller, research director at the liberal-leaning Policy Matters Ohio, says the virus has put employers in a tough spot.

“Some employers have to make difficult choices. Do I keep operating or keep operating in the same fashion? he said.

Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday urged employers to send workers home if they’re sick. But workers say his request for employers to take their temperature was being ignored.