It might be tempting to think that the coronavirus pandemic is fully in our collective rearview, and that we can finally return to living—and working—without fear of COVID-19.
But those fears still very much exist for at least a quarter of the American workforce, according to new Gallup data.
By and large, concerns over contracting COVID-19 have waned over the course of the two-plus years of the pandemic. Approximately one-third of the 3,700 American adults polled said they are “not too concerned,” with 41% expressing no COVID-related concerns at all. (The 26% of workers currently feeling anxious about COVID marks a 7% decrease from a July 2022 poll from Gallup, and a 10% drop compared to one year ago, according to the Washington, D.C.-based analytics and advisory organization.)
“But a certain amount of unease persists” for some workers, according to Gallup, which found that roughly one in four employed adults taking part in the survey said they are “very” (6%) or “moderately” (20%) concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus at work.
Who’s the most worried among this group?
“Concern about exposure to COVID-19 at work continues to be more pronounced among women, Democrats, education workers and healthcare workers than it is among their counterparts,” wrote Gallup’s Lydia Saad. “These groups have consistently shown the most concern about workplace exposure throughout the pandemic, and that continues today, despite the decline in concern over time among all groups.”
Indeed, COVID-related stress has dissipated across the board, “particularly sharply” among Democrats (down 13 percentage points since July, to 38% in this poll) and those employed in education (dropping 13 points in that same span, to 40%). Gallup saw no change in workers who identify as political independents (the same, at 26%) and little movement among Republicans, with 14% expressing COVID-related concern in July to 9% saying the same in October.
Among on-site employees, 27% worry about contracting COVID-19 at work, similar to all employees nationally, according to Gallup. This number ticks up slightly, to 31%, among hybrid workers, “which may partly explain this group’s reluctance to be in the office full-time,” wrote Saad, adding that both groups’ concern has diminished in this latest poll, but the decline was greater among on-site workers, falling from 35% in July to 27% in October.
Expecting a Winter Uptick
While overall anxiety levels related to the coronavirus are trending down, a majority (64%) expect to see COVID-19 infections increase in the fall and winter months. This anticipated uptick might be driving ongoing concern about the risk of exposure at work, according to Gallup, which found 14% of workers expecting infections to increase “a great deal” in the coming months. Another 50% said they expect to see a moderate increase in the number of infections, while just 8% think infections will drop and 29% believe the number of COVID cases will stay the same.
“Employees are apprehensive about being exposed to the coronavirus not only on the job, but in other aspects of their lives,” Saad wrote, noting that 19% of employees reported avoiding events with large crowds within the past seven days, due to their concern about the coronavirus.
Slightly fewer said they have avoided traveling by airplane or public transportation (15%), going to public places in general (13%) or small social gatherings (10%). Nearly four in 10 (37%) reported wearing a mask on their face when outside their home in the past seven days.
Workers are taking other steps to protect themselves from the virus, with 48% of U.S. employees telling Gallup they are vaccinated and boosted to some extent—20% with the new booster, 28% only with an older one. Roughly 20% of workers say they have been vaccinated but not boosted, with the remaining third indicating they have not been vaccinated, although some (representing 10% of all employees) say they plan to be, according to Gallup.
Still, while vaccination should help employees avoid severe illness, “it does not inoculate them from concern about being exposed to COVID-19,” wrote Saad. “Rather, as Gallup has seen over the past year, vaccinated Americans tend to be more cautious about their exposure to COVID-19 and express greater concern about the pandemic than those who are choosing not to be vaccinated. The latter group is, almost by definition, unconcerned.”
Keeping Precautions in Place
Of course, many employees have been called back to the office over the course of the last year or so, for at least part of the work week. But that doesn’t mean that all workers are completely comfortable with being in-person again. And employers would be wise to bear that in mind as they consider how and where work needs to be done.
“With COVID-19 infection rates holding steady at a relatively low level and fewer deaths being reported, many employers are encouraging or requiring workers to come back to their workplaces, at least part time,” wrote Saad. “Employees’ enjoyment of working from home and aversion to commuting may be the primary obstacles to luring them back in, but fear of being exposed to the coronavirus remains a factor for one in four workers, and that rate is even higher among some demographics.”
Chris Pfeiffer, a safety team manager at The Horton Group, which provides COVID workplace safety consulting services, advises employers to take a number of steps to help allay employee fears around COVID risks in the workplace.
Creating and disseminating a COVID-19 safety perception survey, for example, can help the organization find out what coronavirus concerns employees have, and how workers feel the agency has responded throughout the pandemic.
“Based on the responses, you can strategize and focus your attention on specific areas of safety and compliance,” said Pfeiffer, who also recommends establishing a COVID-19 committee to discuss the results of the survey.
In addition, he urges employers to develop an exposure control plan that protects employees as well as laying out the safety precautions that employees are expected to follow.
“Identify routes of exposure and controls in place,” he said, “and communicate plans through comprehensive training.”
29 November 2022
Category
HR News Article