‘Need to be flexible’
Persistent COVID crisis complicates reopenings at state companies
When offices across Connecticut emptied during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, companies started to consider how their employees would eventually return to their workplaces.
Today, employers are still grappling with those decisions.
Nearly a year-and-a-half after the state recorded its first COVID-19 case, many businesses have reopened their offices while still offering employees the option of working remotely. The recent rise in infections sparked by the delta variant has further complicated workplace arrangements — but many companies are recommending, rather than mandating, that employees get vaccinated.
“All workplace policies and plans need to be flexible, and return-to-work plans are no exception,” said Megan Moran, a Stamford-based senior HR specialist with Insperity, a provider of human resources and business performance services. “Each business is different, and the response to the rising case numbers will differ between companies. Employers should base decisions around local guidance and consult experts when possible.”
Recommending, but not requiring, vaccines
In the past few weeks, the spike in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations — mostly among the unvaccinated — has highlighted the pandemic’s persistence.
As of Friday, Connecticut had 174 hospitalizations related to COVID-19. The total compared with a low of 25 as of July 9, but it was still less than 10 percent of the 1,972 hospitalized patients in the state as of April 22, 2020, at the peak of the first wave.
Despite the recent uptick in cases, Connecticut has contained COVID-19 more effectively than most states — boosted by its high vaccination rate. Only Massachusetts and Vermont have administered a higher number of vaccine doses on a per-capita basis, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials at several Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Connecticut — including Stamford-based Charter Communications, Farmington-based Otis Worldwide, New Britain-based Stanley Black & Decker, Stamford-based Synchrony and Norwalk-based Xerox — told Hearst Connecticut Media this week that they are recommending, but not requiring, COVID-19 immunizations for their employees.
“Employee health and safety remains our top priority. Stanley Black & Decker strongly encourages employees to get vaccinated,” said SB&D, which is one of the world’s largest tool manufacturers, in a statement. “The fastest way to end the pandemic and build toward a new normalcy is to get everyone vaccinated who is able to do so, and we are working hard across the organization to make that happen for our employees, their families and our communities.”
Information technology provider Xerox is requiring all U.S. employees to “attest” to their vaccination status by indicating whether they are vaccinated, not vaccinated or have an approved exception. Those who are vaccinated must also provide their last date of vaccination and the type of vaccine they received, according to a company spokesperson.
Employees do not have to provide vaccine documentation, but the spokesperson said, “Failure to provide accurate information is considered a violation of Xerox’s Code of Conduct, which could potentially lead to termination.”
Many smaller firms, such as Stamford-based First County Bank, are also recommending vaccines for their staff members.
“We are waiting to see if booster shots are recommended,” said June Walker, First County’s chief human resources officer. “If that is the case, we could consider offering those on-site as we do our annual flu shots.”
Elsewhere, a growing number of large companies are requiring vaccines for at least some of their employees. That list includes Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Tyson Foods, United Airlines, Walmart and Walt Disney Co.
“The question of vaccination mandates is a complex one,” Moran said. “Insperity does not universally recommend one approach over another as unique business situations, goals and workplace dynamics dictate the right approach for specific companies.”
“For instance, some companies that have employees who interact closely with each other or the public may find it beneficial to enact a mandate to placate concerns of customers or colleagues. However, for business owners that allow employees to work primarily from home, vaccinations may not be an issue that requires employer intervention.”
Differing workplace arrangements
Office buildings in Connecticut were allowed to return to full capacity on March 19. But that green light did not spur a rush back to workplaces, as employers have preferred to go at their own pace.
Some companies such as Charter, Otis and Stanley Black & Decker have kept facilities open since the start of the pandemic through government designations as essential businesses.
“Our field professionals in Connecticut, as well as across the globe, were deemed essential throughout the pandemic and have continued to work to keep critical infrastructure safe and moving,” said Ed Jacovino, manager of public relations at Otis, which makes elevators and escalators. “Our Connecticut facilities remain open for essential workers and for colleagues who choose to work from the office — with protocols consistent with the recommendations of public health officials.”
Others have started to reopen sites in recent months. Xerox, for instance, welcomed back employees to its workplaces in April.
Amid the COVID-19 resurgence, mask mandates remain prevalent. Regardless of their vaccination status, all Xerox employees are required to wear a three-ply surgical mask “or better” when indoors at either a customer or company site and complete a daily “health check,” according to the company.
First County Bank asks all employees and customers who are not vaccinated to wear masks at its branches and main offices.
“Moving forward, we are much better equipped to quickly react to any change in the situation with the pandemic,” Walker said. “I think First County is well prepared.”
At the same time, remote working has become entrenched at many companies. Synchrony, the country’s largest private-label credit card provider, announced last October a new policy allowing employees to permanently work from home.
In-person work still figures in Synchrony’s plans, too, with the company starting a Return to Hub program in early June that reopened offices, including its Stamford headquarters. The company, however, is modifying the initiative.
“Based on the data we have today and new CDC guidelines, to protect the safety of our employees, families and communities, Synchrony is pausing our voluntary Return to Hub pilots across our U.S. locations effective Monday, Aug. 9, 2021,” said Lisa Lanspery, senior vice president of public relations at Synchrony. “We will continue to monitor the data and CDC guidelines and look forward to resuming the pilots when it is safe to do so.”