from Challenger Gray and Christmas
As the Trump Administration releases guidelines for reopening the economy, Human Resources executives nationwide are contemplating when and how they will reopen work sites. The majority will keep their COVID plans, which include working from home and closing non-essential businesses, in place until experts agree it is safe, while 24% plan for the crisis to keep businesses closed for 1 to 3 months.
Another 7% of businesses are planning to keep plans in place for 3 to 6 months, and 4% plan to on the crisis lasting through the end of the year. Only 2% believe they can remove precautions in a matter of weeks.
The survey was conducted online among over 300 human resources executives from companies nationwide of various sizes and industries between April 12 and April 16.
When asked what would trigger the reopening of their businesses, 47% stated they would follow the lead of each location’s state governors. Nearly 14% said they would heed the advice of a combination of local, state, and federal leaders, as well as leading scientific experts and internal research. Another 13% stated they would act in accordance with the federal government’s guidelines while another nearly 13% will listen to leading scientific experts. Five percent responded “Other” which includes responses about adopting a phased approach to reopening.
“Companies across the country are eager to return to business as usual. However, the new normal will look quite different from how business was done a mere two months ago. HR executives are closely following government mandates and are planning protocols to keep workers, customers, and their loved ones safe,” said Andrew Challenger, Senior VP of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
Indeed, 93% will take precautions once their workers return to work, while 7% are unsure at this time how they will proceed. Zero respondents said they would take no precautions once workers returned.
What precautions will you implement or are considering?
| Providing sanitizing products (hand sanitizer, bleach wipes). | 88.57% |
| Maintaining social distancing protocols (fewer people in work spaces, not allowing workers to come within 6 feet of each other). | 85.71% |
| Regular deep cleaning of all workstations/work sites. | 84.57% |
| Limiting or prohibiting gatherings in shared spaces, such as conference rooms, break rooms, lunch rooms, bathrooms, etc. | 78.86% |
| Limiting or excluding visitors. | 59.43% |
| Providing and/or requiring workers to wear masks. | 53.71% |
| Surveying workers to see if they had or have any risk of exposure. | 45.14% |
| Taking the temperature of workers upon their arrival to work. | 40.57% |
| Providing and/or requiring workers to wear gloves. | 30.29% |
| Unsure | 6.86% |
| We will follow CDC guidelines | 1.71% |
“Employers are grappling with how to best equip their teams once they come back to work sites. Many will follow social distancing guidelines, limit gatherings and supply PPE to their workers,” said Challenger.
Do you plan to provide any PPE to workers?
| Yes, we will provide gloves and/or masks to all workers. | 37.50% |
| Yes, we will provide gloves and/or masks to some of our workers. | 26.19% |
| We will allow workers to bring their own PPE. | 18.45% |
| No, we have no plans to distribute equipment. | 10.71% |
| Unsure | 7.14% |
| We will provide for those who want them. | 2.38% |
| We are having a difficult time sourcing PPE. | 1.79% |
Companies are also putting plans in place in case an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19. Nearly 77% reported they would require anyone that person may have exposed to go on a two-week quarantine. 71% said they would deep clean the work site, while 13% said they would shut down and quarantine the entire work site. Nearly 40% reported they would revert to crisis protocols, implementing work-from-home procedures, and 39% said they would alert authorities to aid in contact tracing.
What are your plans in the event an employee is diagnosed?
| We will require a 2 week quarantine for that employee and anyone they may have exposed. | 76.92% |
| We will deep clean the entire work site. | 71.01% |
| We will revert to crisis protocols. | 39.64% |
| We will alert local authorities to aid in contact tracing efforts | 39.05% |
| We will shut down and quarantine the entire work site. | 13.02% |
| It depends on situation and location | 7.69% |
| Unsure | 5.92% |
“It is imperative that businesses nationwide think critically about reopening plans before issuing any mandates to return to work. No doubt the virus will still be circulating well into this year. Testing will give many businesses more data to inform these plans. In fact, two respondents were discussing plans to test workers regularly,” said Challenger.
For businesses that can allow their workers to work from home, 28% are making those accommodations permanent for some of their workforce, while 6% said they would make these accommodations permanent for all of their workers. 27.5% reported they would allow their workers to work from home until they reported they felt safe to come back to the office.
Another 8% of companies said they would require workers to come back to the office once it was determined that the crisis had passed.
Demographics
Respondents by Location
| Northeast | 18.03% |
| West | 34.43% |
| South | 21.86% |
| Midwest | 25.68% |
Respondents by Size
| 1-100 | 15.85% |
| 101-500 | 21.86% |
| 501-1,000 | 9.84% |
| 1,001-5,000 | 25.68% |
| 5,001-10,000 | 10.93% |
| 10,000+ | 15.85% |
Respondents by Industry
| Manufacturing | 16.30% |
| Nonprofit | 9.78% |
| Technology | 9.78% |
| Utilities, Energy, and Extraction | 7.07% |
| Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals | 6.52% |
| Food & Beverages | 5.98% |
| Construction, Machinery, and Homes | 5.43% |
| Services | 5.43% |
| Finance & Financial Services | 5.43% |
| Transportation & Delivery | 4.89% |
| Entertainment & Leisure | 3.26% |
| Real Estate | 3.26% |
| Hospitality | 2.17% |
| Insurance | 2.17% |
| Financial Services | 2.17% |
| Legal | 1.63% |
| Business Support & Logistics | 1.63% |
| Retail & Consumer Durables | 1.63% |
| Advertising & Marketing | 1.09% |
| Airlines & Aerospace (including Defense) | 1.09% |
| Education | 1.09% |
| Other (please specify) | 1.09% |
| Automotive | 0.54% |
| Government | 0.54% |
Will you continue to allow workers to work from home after the crisis?
| Yes, we will make work from home accommodations created for the crisis permanent for some of our workers. | 28.09% |
| Yes, we will allow workers to work from home until they report that they feel comfortable to return. | 27.53% |
| We will return to our previous work from home policies. | 15.17% |
| No, we will require all workers to return to work once it is determined that the crisis has passed. | 8.43% |
| Unsure | 6.18% |
| Yes, we will make work from home accommodations created for the crisis permanent for workers. | 6.18% |
| Other | 5.62% |
| We will use a phased approach tailored for individual workers. | 2.81% |
How long do you plan to keep your COVID19 plans in place?
| Until experts indicate it is safe to reopen. | 62.09% |
| 1-3 months | 24.73% |
| 3-6 months | 7.14% |
| Through the end of the year. | 4.40% |
| Other (please specify) | 4.40% |
| We’re planning on the crisis lasting for a matter of weeks. | 2.20% |
| We are planning on keeping conditions into 2021. | 1.65% |
What will trigger the reopening or resuming business as usual?
| We are taking the lead of our State government. | 47.73% |
| All of the above. | 13.64% |
| We are taking the lead of the Federal government. | 13.07% |
| We are listening to leading scientific experts. | 12.50% |
| Other | 5.11% |
| We are taking the lead of our Mayor. | 3.41% |
| Unsure | 2.27% |
| We are listening to our own internal experts. | 2.27% |
Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. ©
