Kathryn Mayer - District 91��Ƭistration

Requiring employees to return to school? Be prepared for them to quit

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Employers considering bringing their employees back into the office, or districts planning to bring employees back to schools, might want to reconsider.

A whopping 58% of workers say they would “absolutely” look for a new job if they weren’t allowed to continue working remotely in their current position, new data finds. According to FlexJobs, which surveyed more than 2,100 people who have been working remotely during the pandemic, 31% aren’t sure what they would do and only 11% say not being able to continue working remotely is not a big deal to them.

Overall, 65% of employees want to work remotely full-time , and another 33% prefer a hybrid work arrangement of remote and in-office work, according to the survey. Just 2% would prefer to return to the traditional office on a full-time basis. While workers are most concerned about COVID-19 exposure/infection (49%), having less work flexibility (46%) and less work-life balance (43%) are other key apprehension points in returning to traditional workplaces.

“Employers should absolutely evaluate their workforce post-pandemic with open eyes about what an effective business model could look like for them,” says Kathy Gardner, remote work expert at FlexJobs, a career site. “Over the last year, companies have experienced what remote work can do for their business strategy, their operations and their employees.”

Nobody in Portage Public Schools in Michigan has threatened to quit over not being allowed to work from home, Superintendent Mark Bielang says.

The district intends to return to full in-person instruction in the 2021-22 school year. Still, administrators are working to connect teachers who thrived online with families who have expressed interest in remaining remote even after concerns over COVID ebb, Bielang says.

“�³󲹳��we’ll��ry��o do is match those teachers��ɳ�o have expressed interest in teaching from home with the needs of parents and students so we can accommodate both parties,” Bielang says.

The concept of working from home also will provide the district more year-round staffing flexibility during the summer, he adds.

Question of talent

Gardner says 100% remote work continues to be the most sought-after type of job flexibility for employees because of its far-reaching benefits. “Remote workers enjoy better work-life balance, reduced stress, improvements in personal relationships, as well as cost and time savings,” she says. “Remote and flexible work has tremendous benefits for employers when done well. Companies with flexible and remote work programs see increased retention and reduced turnover, improved productivity and efficiency, a larger and more diverse candidate pool, reduced operational and real estate costs and a reduced environmental impact.”

The FlexJobs survey is the latest to suggest that employers should think twice about requiring employees to come back to the office, even when the pandemic ends. , a startup workforce platform, found that 47% of workers said they would likely leave their job after the pandemic if their employers didn’t offer a hybrid work model.

“Companies that refuse to adapt to remote and hybrid workforces will absolutely lose out on talent,” Gardner says.

Although surveys have found that employees have wanted remote and flexible work options for years, COVID-19 has largely been viewed as the biggest remote work experiment ever. Experts say that because it’s working seamlessly for most employers—and employees like it—many more organizations will embrace the working model post-pandemic.

In the past, remote work was viewed by companies as a perk rather than a beneficial business strategy, but when the pandemic began, companies had no alternative, Gardner says.

“The choice was between closing the business at least temporarily or adopting remote work immediately,” she says. “What they discovered, for the most part, was that, even when tested under such extreme circumstances, remote work holds up as a viable option. This has led to countless company leaders rapidly changing their minds and embracing remote work as a more permanent solution moving forward.”

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4 takeaways for districts from the EEOC guidance on COVID vaccines

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 05:00:00 +0000

With the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine being administered in America, districts are wondering what their role is when it comes to vaccination and what they can and can’t do. Now they have some clarification, as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission this week released guidance for organizations and the COVID-19 vaccine.

Here are some highlights of the , published Wednesday.

Yes, employers can mandate the COVID-19 vaccine—with some exceptions. The EEOC essentially says employers can require that employees get vaccinated as a condition of going to work. However, they must be prepared to exempt employees with disabilities and religious objections. In those cases, an employer must offer a reasonable accommodation to the employee—such as working remotely or being reassigned—as long as the accommodation doesn’t cause “undue hardship” for the employer.

Employers may generally request that the employees provide supporting documentation to support exemption requests for disability or religious reasons.

Employers can exclude unvaccinated employees from the workplace. If no reasonable accommodation is possible and the employee is unable to be vaccinated, the EEOC states that the employer may “exclude the employee from the workplace.” The EEOC notes “this does not mean the employer may automatically terminate the worker. Employers will need to determine if any other rights apply under the EEO laws or other federal, state and local authorities.”

Employers can ask employees to show proof of receipt of a COVID-19 vaccination. Employees receiving a COVID-19 vaccine approved or authorized by the F91��Ƭ will not be considered a “medical examination” for purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act, meaning employers can ask employees for proof of a vaccine. (The A91��Ƭ places limits on employers’ ability to make workers take medical tests or otherwise seek out medical information about them.) However, districts must be cautious about pre-screening vaccination questions, which may violate the A91��Ƭ’s provision on disability-related inquiries, “which are inquiries likely to elicit information about a disability,” the EEOC said in its guidance. “If the employer administers the vaccine, it must show that such pre-screening questions it asks employees are ‘job-related and consistent with business necessity.’”

Asking about vaccines doesn’t trigger GINA. The EEOC says that employers that administer a COVID-19 vaccine or ask employees to show they’ve been vaccinated aren’t triggering the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which shields people from workplace bias based on their genetic information. However, pre-screening medical questions that seek genetic information before administering a vaccine could implicate GINA. “If the pre-vaccination questions do not include any questions about genetic information (including family medical history), then asking them does not implicate GINA,” the EEOC says.

The complete guidance can be found .

Kathryn Mayer covers benefits for 91��Ƭ sister publication .

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Districts’ next big job: Convincing employees to get COVID vaccine

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 05:00:00 +0000

After months of COVID-related mayhem that’s touched every aspect of work, there’s finally a bright spot in the form of approved vaccines that are in the midst of being approved and rolled out around the world.

Even though district leaders have already navigated a number of pandemic-related trials over the past year—from keeping teachers and staff safe and healthy and moving instruction remote to navigating productivity challenges—they’re gearing up for perhaps their most significant challenge yet: getting employees to buy into the vaccines.

It’s a tall order: Skepticism and hesitation surround the new vaccines coming out from Pfizer, Moderna and other makers. Recent surveys show as few as half of Americans are determined to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“This is a complicated issue, with strong feelings for and against personally receiving the vaccine, but it is important to maintain an inclusive and safe culture at work,” says Jaime Klein, founder and CEO of consulting firm Inspire Human Resources.

The polarization means that employers—viewed as an ally in getting scores of Americans vaccinated—have significant work to do in order to convince teachers and staff to get vaccinated. And they’ll likely face backlash.

“There is going to be an uproar as decisions are made by these larger corporations, and it’s going to be interesting as it plays out,” says Justin Holland, CEO and founder of HealthJoy, a benefits company that works with employers. But it’s a decision that couldn’t be more important.

“This is probably the first time that HR is having to make a choice from the health and wellness perspective of their organization,” he says. “Companies have to make a stand. They have to decide what side of history they want to be on.”

See all of �ٴ�’��COVID-19 coverage here.

Most experts agree on one thing: Districts play a vital role in helping promote COVID-19 vaccinations. They’re gatekeepers for the health and safety of employees. And without teachers and staff getting vaccinated against COVID-19, there’s no such thing as a safe return to work. As they have been for the past 10 months, schools, particularly middle and high school, are ripe for infection and rapid spread of the virus. Exposure is repeatedly shutting down schools, forcing deep cleans, quarantining, and other measures to keep staff and students safe.

It’s a routine that districts can’t afford—in any sense of the word—for another year. And of course, there are liabilities for organizations if employees get infected with COVID-19 in the workplace.

“Imagine the amount of employees who could say, ‘I got COVID at work’—who’s going to want to deal with that?” – Justin Holland, CEO and founder of HealthJoy

“You’re never going to have a situation where you have employees in the office without a vaccine,” Holland says. “Imagine the amount of employees who could say, ‘I got COVID at work’—who’s going to want to deal with that?”

Others agree.

“The distribution of COVID vaccines will be critical to getting back to business as usual,” says Michael Thompson, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, a nonprofit, purchaser-led organization that represents some 12,000 employers. “Employers have a strong stake in ensuring the success of these public health efforts and can be a real ally in making it happen effectively.”

More from 91��Ƭ: 7 questions about COVID-19 vaccinations for districts

So how do they do it?

It’s a lot about communication and facts. “Between anti-vaxxers and the amount of misinformation through social media, they’re going to have to communicate what is the factual information for distribution of the vaccine,” says Holland, adding that district leaders can offer employees consistent safety and efficiency data on the COVID vaccine. “The employer is playing a role being a credible fact source, and that’s very, very important.”

Klein adds that employers can amplify the voices of reputable medical experts and reinforce advice from organizations like the CDC say regarding the safety and benefits of receiving a vaccination and the risks of not receiving it.

“Employer efforts to educate on the merits of vaccines in general, and the COVID vaccination process specifically, can make a real difference to mitigate vaccine hesitancy,” Thompson adds. “Transparency and trust will be the key.”

[click_to_tweet tweet=”#Districts are seen as allies in the distribution and encouragement of the #COVID19 #vaccine. But with some #employee #skepticism, how can they succeed? Find #COVIDvaccine #communication strategy” quote=”Transparency and trust will be the key.” theme=”style3″]

Districts also will likely be at the center of distribution when doses of the vaccine are available, which will give staff ample opportunity to receive their shots.

Like other vaccinations—including the annual flu shot—school districts might be wise to roll the COVID-19 vaccine into their existing wellness program and tie getting it to incentives, Holland says. That may prompt some employees who are unsure about getting the vaccine to do so.

Teachers should be a priority for COVID-19 vaccines, unions and others say

Of course, it’s likely that some employers may not simply nudge employees to get the vaccine, but they will mandate it. That’s something Holland predicts will be seen in the coming months.

For now, of utmost importance is districts coming up with a COVID vaccination plan: Will they make the vaccine mandatory? Who will get it? Will they roll it out? How will they communicate the benefits and how often?

Although having a plan of action for the vaccine may seem obvious, it’s something most employers have been kicking the can on for the past several months while they wait for news and updates on COVID-19 and see how things play out. Meanwhile, many HR leaders were busy focusing on other priorities in the last couple of months, like readying for open enrollment and rolling out a new set of benefits for the year.

But a wait-and-see approach for a vaccination plan can no longer wait, experts say.

“This has got to be your first priority going into 2021,” Holland says.

Kathryn Mayer covers benefits for 91��Ƭ sister publication .

The post Districts’ next big job: Convincing employees to get COVID vaccine appeared first on District 91��Ƭistration.

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