More than half of U.S. adults (54%) cite barriers preventing them from returning to “brick-and-mortar” work locations during the ongoing pandemic, according to results from the latest American Staffing Association Workforce Monitor online survey conducted by The Harris Poll among 2,055 U.S. adults age 18 and older.
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Among those who cite obstacles to returning to work in an in-person setting, the top three are fear of catching Covid-19 at work or during commute (57%), preference to work at home (35%), and not yet being vaccinated (34%).
At the same time, nearly a quarter of U.S. adults (23%) say there are no barriers for them to return to work at an on-site location or they are already in that situation (13%).
There is also a divide about who to trust to assure it is safe to go back to working on site during the Covid-19 pandemic. Four in 10 U.S. adults (42%) say they would trust federal, state, or local government sources to assure them that an on-site work location is safe, while more than one in three (36%) listen to work-related sources like the employer/company leadership, direct supervisors, or colleagues. Around three in 10 cite health and safety inspectors of the work location (28%) and medical personnel (27%) as sources they would trust to assure them it is safe to return to work on site during the pandemic. Less than 1 in 10 say they would trust the news media (7%), social media (7%), and celebrities or influencers (4%) to assure them it is safe to return.
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Notably, one in five U.S. adults (21%) say they wouldn’t trust any source regarding whether or not it is safe to return to brick-and-mortar work locations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The ASA Workforce Monitor findings show that employers are among the top resources that U.S. workers listen to when making decisions about returning to on-site job locations,” said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. “However, with some saying they don’t trust any sources about safely returning to work, employers must make it a top priority to clearly communicate the return-to-work safety protocols and procedures that have been put in place to ensure employee safety and well-being.”
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