1 In 4 American Workers Hesitant to Ask Their Boss to Wear a Mask or Stay Socially Distant
Summary
More than one in four males (27%) and only one in five females (20%) who will be returning to their place of work are unlikely to ask a colleague or boss to put on a mask, wash their hands or distance themselves, according to the national survey conducted by YouGov and SafetyCulture of over 2,500 adults*. Although October 2020 was a month of frightening COVID-19 records, over eight in 10 (81%) of these workers are confident that their workplace has or will take the appropriate actions to put safety checks in place for a safe return to the office. Key findings from the survey also include: • More than one in five (21%) are unlikely to wear a mask for an entire day at work • Only 17% of Millennials are unlikely to wear a mask for the full day compared to 31% of Baby Boomers • 17% are not confident that colleagues will stay home if they show signs of COVID-19 • 15% admit they are unlikely to social distance from others in the workplace, with 16% of Boomers not complying with social distancing Safe workplaces will win the war for talent The majority of these workers agree that their trust and confidence in a workplace would increase with certain safety measures put in place, including: • Social distancing protocols which are monitored and enforced (59%) • A real-time list of thorough cleaning and disinfecting activities being completed regularly, throughout the day for high traffic areas (60%) • Readily available mask and hand sanitizer supplies available for free with their use being enforced in all areas of the workplace (63%) Bob Butler, General Manager, Americas, SafetyCulture, cautions against a top-down approach to safety in workplaces: “Companies which will survive and thrive today are those which proactively lean into challenges, encourage employee feedback, and take ownership of risks. Last month, SafetyCulture partnered with the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) to raise safety standards across US workplaces. The technology empowers teams to perform checks, report issues, collect on-the-ground data, and communicate fluidly.