In the recent development, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) had given a green signal to employers to test on-site employees for coronavirus as a condition for entering the workplace. According to the guidance that was updated 23 April 2020, it will be mandatory to get COVID-19 tested if it is job-related and consistent with business necessity.
According to the press release made by Instacart, the company is planning to hire an additional 250,000 contractors over a period of two months to serve as full-service shoppers. The announcement was made after the company said it would hire 300, 000 new shoppers in late March. The company aims to revert to offering one-hour and same-day delivery service – something that has been difficult to achieve amid the heightened consumer owing to coronavirus pandemic.
Another organization to get hit by coronavirus pandemic is the European planemaker Airbus. The organization issued a depressing assessment of the COVID-19 crisis. The company stated that its 135,000 employees should be prepared for deeper job cuts. The company also warned that its survival was at stake but there has been no immediate action from the company. The internal letter was sent out to employees on Friday evening.
According to a study from Clockwise, employees are currently spending more time working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study showed that the average employee was putting one hour extra per week along with spending more time in one-on-one meetings or team check-ins. The study revealed that the ‘last relatively normal’ work week of 23 February 2020, the fifth week of March witnessed the average worker spent about 24% more time on meetings.
The latest report released by LinkedIn on 21 April 2020, revealed that with coronavirus’s continuous effect on the US businesses, the employer branding messaging evolved into themes of community, support, and care. The analysis was based on the data of companies from 1 January to April 14 and showed a steady increase in LinkedIn posts with concerns on novel coronavirus. The study also revealed that there was an increase in engagement with pandemic-related posts from companies.
In the latest announcement made by Glassdoor on 21 April 2020, it was revealed employers could highlight the updates to their pandemic response plans on the job searching site. They could do so by marking the job posting with a ‘special COVID-19 badge,’ the announcement stated. The badge would help candidates to identify whether the employer is offering benefits, work-from-home policies, or learning and development opportunities.
According to the April Analysis of Securities and Exchange Commission filings by Gallagher, it was found Public companies were increasingly turning to slashed salaries as compared to layoffs to deal with COVID-19 pandemic. About 151 companies had contributed to the survey and 143 companies from the survey reported pay cuts for the top management. The other 16% reported pay cuts for salaried employees as well.
According to a survey carried out by One Poll and Citrix between 2nd April and 14 April 2020, more than a third of employees expect their organizations to be more willing for remote work or work-from-home post the coronavirus crisis is over. With more than 28% of workers saying that they would look for jobs that would allow them to telecommute – the remote work arrangement gained popularity by both employees and employers alike.
Mercer, in an email, sent to HR Drive dated 20 April 2020, stated that the effective management of the short-term effects of a financial downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic could give companies more options while controlling the long-term effects. The email stated that the employers who led with empathy and economics would be rewarded with employees’ loyalties.
According to the Challenger, Gray & Christmas survey released 20 April 2020, HR executives would wait for guidelines from state and local authorities regarding the reopening decisions of the worksites. The survey report featured that about 13% of respondents revealed they would follow the federal government’s lead regarding the reopening of the worksites. The other 66% of the respondents said they would make decisions based on state and local government information.
The internal memo released by the largest US lender on Tuesday informed that it would bring its thousands of employees back to work in phases. The employees have been working from home for more than five weeks. JPMorgan would be the first large bank to announce steps that indicated returning to normalcy as the debate heats up over the reopening of the US economy post the coronavirus pandemic brought everything to a standstill and rendered a record 22 million jobless.
In a recent development related to coronavirus pandemic, a US labor and activist coalition revealed employees of Amazon – the online retail giant would take off from work on Tuesday to bring attention to the unsafe conditions at warehouses during COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition also revealed that there would have more than 350 Amazon staff members from 40 facilities. Amazon has faced numerous worker protests and demands by unions to close down warehouses during the pandemic.
According to Willis Towers Watson's survey results released 10 April 2020, employers are increasing their efforts to keep employees healthy during the global pandemic – coronavirus. About 86% of the employers surveyed revealed their efforts to promote the use of telemedicine, nurse lines, and virtual healthcare visits. The survey also reported that about 58% of the employers have increased their access to telebehavioral health. In addition, about 41% of the employers surveyed said they would waive out-of-pocket treatment costs for employees who contract the virus.
Meredith Corp – the owner of People Magazine – has announced a temporary salary cut for its about 60% of employees and pause in dividends. The decision came on the heels when advertising revenue has taken a hit during the coronavirus pandemic. Meredith would be the latest media company to join the elite list of Gannett Co Inc and McClatchy Co who have announced pay cuts for their employees.
In a recent survey carried out by HR association, WorldatWork majority of employers about 65% of the 1,510 employers surveyed revealed their organizations do not plan to offer incentives or even bonuses like ‘hazard’ or ‘battle’ pay to the employees who are relentlessly working on-site during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey results were published on 9 April 2020. The survey report also stated healthcare and retail workers were more likely to receive such type of pay.
According to the recently updated guidance guide by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) employers would be able to ask employees about potential coronavirus symptoms. The guide also featured the clause that employers would be able to take the temperatures of the workers if certain rules are followed. The guidance also carried a gentle reminder about federal equal employment opportunity laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act still in force even as the nation grappled with a global pandemic.
In response to the rising unemployment rate among the US citizens, the CHROs at Accenture, Lincoln Financial Group, ServiceNow and Verizon designed a free platform that would connect furloughed or laid-off employees with employers who are hiring these individuals. According to the announcement made by Accenture, dated 14 April 2020, the initiative – titled People + Work Connect – was designed to address the rising demand of unemployed professionals owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a report by Gartner Inc published on 14 April 2020, it is revealed telework would become a workplace standard for numerous companies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also stated that remote teams would become more commonplace post the pandemic passes. The report also shared that about 50% of the organization represented in the survey of HR leaders revealed that about 81% or more of their employees are working from home.
In an internal announcement made by Citigroup, it was revealed the company would continue with its summer analyst internship program despite the impact of coronavirus. In a letter sent to the interns, the bank said that it would delay the start dates to 6 July 2020, however, the interns would still receive their 10 weeks’ pay during the delay. It was also noted that the bank considered the option of virtual delivery. The letter also stated those interning for programs based in New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo would receive a full-time offer from the bank upon the successful graduation.
According to the survey report by PwC, chief financial officers in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, have increasingly been expecting layoffs. The initial report that had come out at the end of March featuring a survey of CFOs in the US and Mexico revealed that about only 16% of CFOs expected layoffs. But with the recent report released on 13 April 2020, there has been a significant increase in the percentage (about 26%) of CFOs who anticipated layoffs in the US and Canada.
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