Mayor must get to bottom of city’s gun violence problem
Welcome to the Wild Wild West (Columbus), where everyone is packing and it’s high noon in Gangland.
It’s a very sad day when you can’t shop on a weekday, in the middle of the day, at a nice mall and not feel safe. Mayor Andrew J. Ginther: Instead of throwing money at programs, find a way to to address who is providing guns and drugs to these young people.
You never hear about what is being done to control this issue.
Barbara Heddleson, Columbus
After a year of working at home because of the coronavirus, a big chunk of workers aren’t ready to head back to the office just yet.
Most want assurances they will be safe in the workplace, and a large number of them say businesses should require employees to be vaccinated. Failing that, employers should offer incentives persuading workers to roll up their sleeves and get a shot, according to a March poll of U.S. workers.
A separate poll shows owners of small and midsize businesses think along similar lines.
“The COVID-19 vaccine is slowly starting to reach some segments of the workforce, but the road ahead remains complicated for employers – from when to bring employees back to how to ensure safety,” said Melissa Jezior, president and CEO of Arlington, Virginia-based Eagle Hill Consulting, which has surveyed workers on their attitudes about heading back to the office.
“Our research shows many employees are reluctant to return to the workplace until vaccines are more prevalent, and more than half say financial or paid-time-off incentives could encourage vaccinations.”
An Eagle Hill poll of working Americans released this month finds 52% think employers should require vaccines. A Glassdoor survey of U.S. employees working from home because of COVID-19 shows 70% saying that employees should be required to get a vaccine before they return to the office.
Meanwhile, a PNC Bank survey of small and midsize business owners, including business owners in Ohio, showed 48% plan to require employees to get vaccinated.
Federal law, in general, does give employers the right to mandate vaccines as long as it is job-related and considered a business necessity, legal experts say. The idea is to keep the workplace safe.
Employers must carve out exemptions for religious or health reasons.
“I was a little surprised by the results,” Stuart Hoffman, PNC’S senior economic adviser, said of the number of business owners that will demand vaccines.
Hoffman questioned whether companies would actually go through with forcing workers to get shots, and pointed to the potential for legal problems if they do.
“It’s clear that some people don’t want the vaccines for a variety of personal reasons,” he said. Others may not be eligible to get a vaccination.
Incentives for vaccinations over mandates
Pat Tiberi, president and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable, a group made up of some of Ohio’s biggest businesses, said he is not aware of any specific employer that will require a vaccine.
“There will be some people who will never get it,” he said.
What is more likely is for employers to encourage workers to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible or offer incentives, such as a day off, he said. There’s also the feeling that workers hesitant to get a shot may change their minds once they see others get the shots and not have any ill effects.
One Columbus company, CAS, said it may launch re-entry to the office with those who have been vaccinated.
“Generally, our employers believe that encouraging the vaccine is the quickest way to community immunity,” Tiberi said.
A third of employers say they will provide education about vaccines, and 22% will give incentives to workers to get a vaccination, according to the PNC survey. Of those surveyed, 45% say the growing availability of vaccines will boost their business’s sales.
Nearly half of businesses surveyed report shifting to work-from-home, but only 15% anticipate the change to be long-lasting.
“They’re anxious to get back to business. We want to have a safe work environment for our employees and our customers,” Hoffman said business owners express.
Vaccines play key role in decision to go back to work
The Eagle Hill survey finds 42% of U.S. workers believe their employer should wait to reopen until COVID-19 vaccines are more widely available to employees. The Glassdoor survey shows 76% say they’ll get the vaccine once it becomes available.
With vaccines here and discussions picking up about when workers will return to the office, it is important for employers to begin building consensus now about going back to the office safely, Jezior said.
“Employers have to find the balance between ensuring a safe environment while not imposing requirements that will generate employee anxiety or animosity,” Jezior said. “That’s the last thing employers need as they try to return to some sense of normalcy for employees and customers.”
Other factors in reopening offices
Employers should understand what workers think and what they worry about, she said. Communication with employees through email and town halls will be important to stay connected with workers.
What is clearer is that most workers want safety protocols to stay in place, such as mask wearing, tests, temperature checks, personal protective equipment and reminders about practicing good hygiene.
“Our CEOS are trying to encourage people to take the vaccine when it’s their turn, but also to continue safety measures,” Tiberi said.
“We’re coming out of the Grand Canyon of economic collapses,” Hoffman said of the steep decline in the economy a year ago when the pandemic struck.
Now business owners are poised for a strong 2021 with vaccines, a new $1.9 trillion stimulus plan and interest rates that remain low.
“If this isn’t the prescription for a robust economic growth, I don’t know what is,” he said. mawilliams@dispatch.com @Bizmarkwilliams