5 COVID benefits employers should focus on

Almost half of employers are optimistic that their pre-pandemic business outlooks will hold over the next six months, according to a report by Mercer. Another 28% believe that their business will grow.

Regardless of that rosy outlook, the firm noted that businesses face significant challenges in the months ahead. It identified five areas employers need to focus on in 2021 to persevere through the pandemic.

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Mercer conducted a series of six surveys for the report, starting in late March, two weeks after the virus began spreading around the United States, through early fall. Cumulative responses topped 3,190.

Flexible leave

Just 19% of employers in the April survey had an emergency leave policy for their workers, and 21% said they didn’t need one, but over the course of the series, respondents started to realize they needed to encourage workers to quarantine if they or a family member were sick. Forty-nine percent of employers implemented a new emergency leave policy or modified an existing one, including:

• Providing paid leave for one quarantine (15%)
• Providing paid leave for multiple quarantines (21%)
• Providing paid leave for unlimited quarantine (10%)

Mercer encouraged employers to consider extending emergency leave policies into next year and address issues like qualifying factors for emergency leave, such as school closures.

Safe workspaces

By the June survey, most employers were letting fewer than a quarter of their workers back into the office, Mercer found. As our understanding of the virus changed, employers’ screening methods evolved. As of the October survey, which was still open at press time, only 43% of respondents were doing temperature checks and 24% were using onsite symptom questionnaires. More than half were having employers do self-assessments with virtual symptom and exposure screenings. Social distancing and sanitation remain the primary ways employers are protecting workers, Mercer found. Fifty-seven percent require masks to be worn at all times, and over a quarter have changed the layout of their office space to better facilitate social distancing.

Mercer noted one strategy has had limited adoption — contact tracing.

“While contract tracing is understood to be the responsibility of public health officials in the US, these resources have been stretched thin, especially in hot spots where cases are spiking,” according to the report.

Long-term remote work 

Prior to the pandemic, the vast majority of employers allowed a small share of their workers to remote work from home. Asked to anticipate how many of their workers would remain in remote offices after the pandemic, almost a third said they would allow half or more of their workers to work from home, and 41% said between a quarter and half.

Mercer attributed the change in attitude to workers’ relatively stable productivity over the past few months, but noted that employers will need a long-term plan that “supports flexibility at scale.” Remote workers need more targeted social support, and may need help procuring office equipment, adequate internet service, or other utilities.

Caregiving

Many employees are balancing remote work and caregiving responsibilities. Mercer found the most common support for caregivers included flexible work schedules, but 4% of employers added backup child care as a response to the pandemic and 3% enhanced the current backup child care benefit.

Mercer found school closures have had a real impact on businesses, including:

• 35% of employees have switched from full-time to part-time
• 24% of employees’ productivity has been negatively affected
• 23% of employees have quit

Worker health and well-being

Mercer believes that increasing health costs are being offset by a decrease in utilization for non-COVID related services. Instead of costs, employers are focusing on employees’ well-being and telemedicine services. Mercer found employers are focusing their employee health and well-being efforts for next year in the following areas:

• Well-being programs, including mental, physical, financial and social health (71%)
• Digital health, including telemedicine and smartphone apps (59%)
• Cost management, including higher deductibles for employee contributions, reduced limits and premiums (38%)
• Inclusive benefits, including women’s health and equity for underrepresented groups (30%)