NEW YORK–Major employers are again announcing adjustments to their return-to-the-workplace policies as the omicron variant of the coronavirus appears to be waning to some degree.
Office occupancy rates across the country are creeping up after a January dip: Across 10 major cities, it was an average of 31% of pre-Covid levels earlier this month, up from 23% in early January, according to the security firm Kastle Systems data cited by the New York Times.
“But no common playbook for return-to-office policies has emerged,” the Times stated, pointing to the different approaches being taken by Wall Street Firms, including:
- Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase both called employees back on Feb. 1.
- Citigroup said U.S. employees should return to the office at least two days per week starting March 21, if they haven’t yet come back.
- BNY Mellon is allowing managers to decide which days employees will be in the office, and Jefferies is asking people to work with their managers to determine how many days they should commute in.
The Times analysis noted that among the trickiest decisions companies face remains whether to require coronavirus vaccinations. The Times surveyed 500 top companies about their vaccine policies, and of the more than 100 that responded or made their plans public, 75 said that they would require shots for some, according to the report.
Several companies are going beyond government requirements, after the Supreme Court blocked a federal rule that would have required large employers to mandate vaccines, and a separate rule requiring vaccines for federal contractors was stayed in court. The consequences for workers who fail to comply with company rules vary widely.
Other Findings
Among the survey’s other findings:
- At least seven companies are mandating booster shots for employees.
- So far, 11 companies that are top federal contractors will still require vaccinations, regardless of whether the courts clear a federal mandate.
- About a dozen companies, including Walmart and UPS, require vaccination for some white-collar workers, but not for frontline workers in stores and supply-chain facilities.