If you’re still working from home indefinitely, you may feel isolated, but take heart — you’re definitely not alone.
More than a third of U.S. companies don’t know when they’ll reopen their workplaces, according to a recent online survey of managers and executives conducted by The Conference Board. The survey of more than 1,100 businesspeople found that 35% have not yet decided when to bring employees back to the workplace.
“Many businesses hoped to reopen their workplaces after Labor Day, but (the survey) suggests a long, uncertain road ahead,” The Conference Board stated when releasing the data Sept. 3.
According to the survey, 39% of companies plan to reopen by the first quarter of 2021, while 13% of those polled said their companies have remained open throughout the pandemic.
Other findings from the survey include:
- Only 5% said a widely available vaccine would influence their reopening plans. “This low ranking likely reflects concern about the viability of a vaccine with a significantly shorter clinical trial time,” The Conference Board explained. “It also likely reflects concern about the legal implications for any corporate mandate to get the vaccine as a condition for returning.”
- About 60% of companies have actually talked to their employees about how comfortable they would feel returning to the workplace.
- Only two-thirds of companies that have reopened or remained open require screening, testing and/or temperature checks for their employees when they arrive at work.
- The most frequent precautions taken by businesses to protect their employees are the purchase of safety equipment such as masks, thermometers and sanitization devices (82%); the creation of social distancing policies for in-person meetings and the use of common areas (80%); and deep cleaning/disinfecting (78%).
