Although it’s not obligatory to wear masks once vaccinated for Covid-19 in the US, around six in 10 people want employees to continue wearing a mask at work. Additionally, two in three say staff are entitled to know about their co-workers’ vaccination status.
Notably, 70% of Blacks/African-Americans and 64% of Hispanics/Latinos believe employees should be required to wear a mask when working at an on-site work location, even after being vaccinated for Covid 19, compared with 50% of Whites/Caucasians, according to results from the latest American Staffing Association (ASA) Workforce Monitor and The Harris Poll.
Two-thirds of parents with children under 18 (65%) feel this way, compared with 53% of nonparents of minor children. “While government officials are rolling back Covid-19 requirements throughout the country, many workers aren’t ready to give up their masks just yet,” stated ASA’s President and CEO Richard Wahlquist. “As brick-and-mortar workplaces reopen, workers are anxious about being around their colleagues once again. Employers must clearly communicate what steps they are taking to make their workplaces safe for their employees as they reopen.”
CO-WORKER VACCINATION STATUS
The Workforce Monitor also uncovered a tension between the right to know about co-workers’ vaccine status; and the right to privacy about one’s own status. While 66% of adults believe employees have a right to know if their co-workers have been vaccinated against Covid-19; 60% also say their personal vaccine status is no one’s business but their own.
In particular, 70% of Baby Boomers say employees have a right to know about their co-workers’ Covid-19 vaccine status; compared with 66% of millennials and 60% of their Generation X counterparts. The largest support for privacy regarding their own Covid-19 vaccine status comes from Generation X (68%); closely followed by Millennials (67%), with half of Baby Boomers (52%) sharing this sentiment.
“As work sites reopen across the country, employee concerns about Covid-19 are creating a challenging privacy paradox,” added Wahlquist. “Employees want to know whether their fellow co-workers have been vaccinated; but don’t want to make their own status public. In balancing these interests, employers must keep workplace safety considerations top of mind.”
Around 73% of US workers still have some anxiety about returning to work; with women more anxious about it than men, confirmed another recent study. Click here to read more.
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