COVID-19 CONTINUES TO IMPACT BUSINESS WITH DELTA VARIANT
According to The U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Business Pulse Survey (August 22, 2021), the Delta variant’s surge has erased all progress on small business recovery expectations made during the spring and early summer. Read about more scary findings from last week’s survey linked below. Our businesses may not be under mandated shutdowns, but that doesn’t mean they are not feeling the pain.
WHAT WE’RE HEARING FROM LOCAL EMPLOYERS
We can’t handle any more hits to our labor pool. In an already precarious labor market, COVID has forced our hand and with early retirements, travel bans, and more. With the latest spike, companies are finding themselves in difficult positions all over again. We’ve heard from local companies making decisions like: Do I risk an outbreak at my facility and have no one healthy to work OR do I enforce a mask mandate and risk losing staff to non-mandated workplaces in this highly competitive environment?
We are seeing another round of shifts in policies at workplaces. Beyond mask mandates, examples include policies such as:
• Mandatory vaccinations OR weekly COVID testing
• Company-sponsored time off for quarantining if vaccinated OR use of personal days in unvaccinated
If employers are hesitant to implement policies like those mentioned above, the Society for Human Resource Management recommends a “different kind of incentive” – reducing employees barriers to get the vaccine. Accommodate employees for scheduling and access to vaccines.
If local employers are interested in scheduling an on-site vaccination clinic, please contact Fisher Titus Chief Administrative Officer Suzanne Farmer. If your team has specific medical questions or concerns, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Moorman is happy to connect with you.
