U.S. firms reconsider return-to-office plans amid Omicron cases

Key takeaways: 

• U.S. firms of all sizes are reconsidering their plans to send employees back to the post. 
• The latest Omicron variant adds a coating of tension.

The US is rethinking to send their staffs back to work: 

Alphabet’s Google and the country’s second-biggest automaker Ford Co. are among those once again postponing their return-to-office plans, while other companies whose workers have already returned are contemplating adding additional protection like mandating masks. Officials in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway and Sweden also have requested people in current days to work from home if they can because of worries regarding the variant.

Meta, previously known as Facebook, and ridesharing firm Lyft individually declared Tuesday that they’re allowing workers to postpone their return when offices completely reopen before next year. Meta still intends to open its office at the end of January but will let workers postpone their return as delinquent as June. Lyft states it won’t need workers to come back to its headquarters for all of the following year, though they will completely reopen as prepared in February. Janelle Gale, vice president of human resources for Meta, stated the latest conclusion acknowledges “some aren’t quite ready to come back.” Source – ctv.ca

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The actions are the latest sign of how challenging it is for firms to develop strong plans for their employees’ required returns as concerns about a spike in new cases or new variants keep moving deadlines. This fall, the Delta variant prompted numerous giant firms to delay an obligatory return to the early following year.

“A year and a half ago, we thought this would be for a very short time,” stated Jeff Levin-Scherz, population health leader at Willis Towers Watson, an international advisory company. “But the pandemic has thrown us many curves, and employers need to continue to be nimble.” Source – ctv.ca