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Vaccine Mandates

FOWX Notes: January 28 Edition

General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Some picked-up pieces, news, and insights from across the evolving world of talent and work:

  • On Tuesday, the Biden administration withdrew its vaccination and testing regulations for large employers. The Supreme Court’s rejection earlier this month forced the President’s hand here. While vaccination mandates would have helped the United States gradually tick up immunity, especially in the age of Omicron, now it is solely up to large enterprises themselves to keep or introduce vaccination and testing mandates as the winter months drag by.
  • Although talk of “COVID endemicity” is absolutely premature, it is critical for businesses to look at a brighter, more hopeful future. Epidemiologists and pundits alike were both quick to talk COVID as an eventual endemic disease and strike the discussion down given the consistent curveballs the novel coronavirus has thrown at us over the past two years. However, the power of optimism is critical, especially today, when so many businesses and professionals are stricken with various forms of fatigue. It is imperative that companies look ahead, even to this coming spring and summer, to boost optimism that better days are ahead and to “open” innovative thinking and product development.
  • An exciting new European labor market report by PRO Unlimited finds some interesting trends. PRO’s new Labor Market Report for Europe finds that IT skillsets are in-demand, time-to-fill rates are climbing high, and that American trends are similar across the world. In its Belgium-specific analysis, for example, the report found that “sourcing these individuals [sales, IT, business development, etc.] over the last three quarters has proven more difficult than in recent years, with the average time to fill increasing from 15 days in 2020 up to 23 days in 2021. This is a result of an increase in international talent acquisition in the contingent space, which has coincided with the greater interest in remote work.”
  • With so much discussion around the pros and cons of remote and hybrid work, it’s refreshing to see innovative companies thriving within this model. Great article at CNN proves that forward-thinking organizations that were once vehemently anti-remote work are now fully-remote, with leaders at these organizations stating that employees have never been more satisfied nor more productive. “The shift to remote work over the course of the pandemic has had a noticeable effect, said Cindy Owyoung, vice president of inclusion, equity and belonging at Robinhood. “Over time, it became increasingly clear that our employees were happiest and did their best work when they had the flexibility to determine where and when they work best,” Owyoung said.”
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FOWX Notes: January 14 Edition

General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Some picked-up pieces, news, and insights from across the evolving world of talent and work:

  • The Supreme Court squashed the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate yesterday. Well, technically, the Court rejected OSHA’s mandate, which would have forced private businesses with over 100 employees to mandate vaccinations for workers (for workers that do not comply, weekly testing was required). This is a huge blow to the Biden administration’s latest tactic to combat the pandemic; in essence, the vaccine mandate would have boosted the United States’ overall vaccination percentage over the next several weeks. Biden encouraged privately-held employers to move forward with vaccine mandates in lieu of the court’s decision.
  • The United States added close to 200,000 jobs in December 2021, a “softer” figure than original estimates. Wall Street expected double that figure, however, the positive news is that the nationwide unemployment rate fell to 3.9%, better than the anticipated 4.1% (and much better than the 4.2% rate in November). Omicron would be the most likely culprit for the shortcoming in jobs added, mainly due to hesitancy on the part of many businesses to fill positions as cases were skyrocketing so quickly. If Boston’s latest wastewater analysis is any indicator, cases could be peaking in the Northeast U.S. (although hospitalizations and severe outcomes lag behind these figures), but won’t peak in other parts of the country for at least another couple of weeks.
  • Rapid COVID testing reveals inequities between FTEs and non-employee workers. Interesting article in The New York Times this week regarding large enterprises getting ahead of the government and securing millions of at-home and rapid COVID tests for their workers (even if many of them are pushing out return-to-office plans). Even though there is a clear demarcation between contingent and FTE workers due to compliance ramifications, the pandemic is one area (and workplace health and safety the other) that there needs to be some softening of the gray area between the two. At Google, it has been reported that employees have access to rapid at-home testing, while contractors and contingent workers must leverage PCR testing, which takes longer to derive results. With Google’s extended workforce to be estimated at roughly half of its total talent, this is a major issue for contingent workforce equity.
  • Bullhorn acquired candidate experience and onboarding platform Able this week. A longtime Bullhorn Marketplace partner, Able is a unique platform that offers candidate engagement, candidate experience, and enhanced onboarding functionality. This acquisition will allow Bullhorn’s staffing supplier client base to leverage candidate experience automation and improve overall talent attraction.
  • The Future of Work Exchange meets the World Staffing Summit. Big thanks to Jan Jedlinksi of Candidately for hosting me (and Future of Work Exchange research) on two panels at this month’s exciting World Staffing Summit.

Don’t forget to register for the exclusive WorkLLama and Future of Work Exchange webcast, The Age of Direct Sourcing 2.0, as well. Lots of great insights into the evolving world of direct sourcing and guidance on how businesses can drive enhanced value from “Direct Sourcing 2.0” initiatives and automation.

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FOWX Notes: January 7 Edition

General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Some picked-up pieces, news, and insights from across the evolving world of talent and work:

  • According to the United States Department of Labor, a record 4.5 million individuals resigned from their jobs/positions in November 2021, a figure that is a touch higher than the previous high (September 2021, in which 4.4 million workers quit). As I discussed yesterday on the latest episode of the Contingent Workforce Weekly podcast, there’s so much more to the so-called “Great Resignation” than just workers leaving their jobs over compensation concerns. Plenty of individuals are worried about workplace conditions and equitable treatment, disillusionment with career trajectories and company culture, and a general unhappiness given the stakes of the pandemic. It’s no longer a question of when workers will come back, but rather how: two questions must have the proper response for workers in 2022: 1) “Is this what I want?”, and, 2) “Is this what I need?”
  • Instagram’s former Global VP of Marketing, Melissa Waters, joined Upwork as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Exciting times continue for the digital staffing giant as they continue to innovate around the evolving world of work and talent, especially on the heels of several new executive additions last month to its product and experience (PEX) and engineering teams.
  • It’s refreshing to see some new takes on the workforce management technology industry, especially from tech veterans like Utmost’s Annrai O’Toole. Annrai’s recent “2021 recap” included a thought that the Future of Work Exchange is incredibly passionate about: getting work done. “You need to step back and think about the core problem: a manager is simply looking for the best way to get work done. What is the fastest, most cost-effective way to get a task performed?”
  • Vaccine mandate legal drama takes center stage again today as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments (after cutting their holiday period short) on two separate accounts. There’s not so much clarity on exactly how these short-term cases will proceed given that they are part of the court’s “shadow docket” and not its regular calendar of hearings/issues, but rather, as succinctly stated by CNN, how “the ruling may provide a window into the court’s thinking that may be instructive to lower courts and serve as a precursor of what will happen when the court is faced with the same or a similar issue in the future.” In short: action coming out of these two arguments may influence how other court and legal systems around the country deal with vaccine mandates when they face their delayed rollout next month.
  • Pediatric hospitalizations and COVID cases in children are on a worrisome trajectory, meaning that the specter of remote school still hangs in the air. Some school districts across the United States are shuffling between remote and traditional in-person learning, with some major universities delayed a return to live classes until late January (many, many elementary, middle, and high schools have also delayed post-holiday returns to the classroom). While I don’t believe that we will see full-scale, longer-term remote learning as we did throughout the 2020-2021 school year, there is something here for every business leader to keep an eye on. Working parents are already stressed over exposure in the classroom; adding the pressure of a possible return to remote learning is, frankly, devastating. Business leaders must be prepared to offer more flexible working environments in the event that schooling changes ebb-and-flow over the next several weeks as Omicron blazes through the population.
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Omicron Will Dictate the Future of Vaccine Mandates

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

An excellent article by Katherine Wu yesterday at The Atlantic was a bit of hopeful news regarding the latest coronavirus variant of concern, Omicron. Wu highlighted some recent research studies regarding the role of T cells in countering the variant’s seeming ability to somewhat escape derived immunity:

“All of this coalesces into a not-totally-catastrophic forecast as to where the immunized could be headed with Omicron. Some T cells might waver—but a hefty contingent should still rush in to fight when the variant invades, as long as a vaccine or prior infection has already wised them up. We don’t, to be fair, have the full picture on Omicron yet; more data are still on their way. What’s known so far, though, looks promising. New data gathered by teams led by Sette and Redd show that most of the viral bits that trained T cells tend to recognize, including those within the spike protein, are still pristinely preserved on Omicron, with only a few exceptions. In previously infected people, for instance, Sette’s team predicted that some 95 percent of spike-specific killer Ts should still hit their mark; in the vaccinated, it was 86 percent. Similar data from Pfizer, as well as the biotech company Adaptive, clock in closer to 80 percent for the inoculated.”

The TLDR version: the Omicron variant is the most confounding of the new variants thus far, however, immunity via vaccination or prior infection (or both) will still elicit T cells in providing a substantial measure of protection. That’s a modicum of optimism amidst the nearly three weeks’ worth of fear and anxiety since scientists in South Africa discovered the new variant, with some speculation that any acquired immunity would not prohibit Omicron from infecting vaccinated (or previously infected) individuals.

While studies have not conclusively determined whether or not the new variant is “milder” than the wild type edition, the fact remains that any increase in transmissibility means that there will be an associated increase in severe disease and hospitalizations due to the sheer volume of new cases across the globe. Omicron is expected to become the dominant variant this month in regions like Europe and the UK, with the United States not that far behind.

So, what does this have to do with the business arena and vaccine mandates? Some thoughts:

  • Ongoing studies prove that vaccine booster shots amplify protection against Omicron, meaning that there should be some flexibility in mandates to include a third vaccine jab. Vaccine-induced immunity is somewhat protective, however, booster shots significantly enhance the overall efficacy and effectiveness of the Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J vaccines. As Dr. Anthony Fauci recently stated on numerous media outlets: the definition of “fully vaccinated” will need to be changed to include the aforementioned third/additional vaccine jab. This will need to be reflected in the Biden administration’s vaccine regulations, expected to go into effect in less than a month.
  • There shouldn’t be a rush to push everyone back to the office just because it’s a new year. Winter is an awful time for respiratory viruses, including the common cold and the flu. Even if there wasn’t a new variant of concern about to spark a new wave of infections, there would be so much confusion regarding whether or not people should head into work; a stuffy nose or sniffles would make anyone think twice about beginning their morning commute. The Omicron variant is expected to create a surge of cases during the winter (if indicators from the UK and across the world forebode what is about to happen in America), thus the continued viability of the hybrid and remote work models. Although some may argue that mandates are merely unwanted oversight by the government, the truth is that mandates are designed for public safety, not control. (And, if we’re going to talk about remote work, too, then why not say this: it should have a permanent place in how businesses structure their workforce in 2022.)
  • Businesses are going to have to work harder to ensure their staff that workplaces are safe. It shouldn’t take state-mandated mask measures for businesses to understand what’s at stake here: workers are already burnt out, tired, and have had enough of the inequitable treatment and lack of flexibility. Remote options should be readily available for those workers that can effectively perform tasks from home, while those industries that cannot support remote or hybrid work must structure the workplace environment to be safe for all in-person workers, making vaccine mandates all the more critical (while also mandating facial coverings).
  • If Omicron causes another winter surge, vaccine mandates will significantly boost the overall immunity of the country. As stated above, the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate plan isn’t a way for the government to execute control over the business arena, but to truly make the country a safer place to live and work. Those individuals that were vaccine hesitant before the mandate kicks in (and there are most likely millions that fall into this group) will now be inoculated in a time when a new, shifty variant is causing a sharp uptick in infections.
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FOWX Notes: December 10 Edition

Business LeadershipGeneral InsightsHR by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Some picked-up pieces, news, and insights from across the evolving world of talent and work:

  • I’ve often written about the “human” side of the business arena, with aspects like empathy-led leadership taking center stage as an indicator that the balance between “people” and “technology” is what the Future of Work movement is founded upon. This week’s news that Better.com’s CEO fired 900 employees via a single Zoom call last week is the complete opposite of the progress leaders have made over the past two years. It’s not surprising to see several of the company’s high-profile execs leave the firm in the wake of the Vishal Garg’s blunder, and his apology for the way the terminations unfolded are actually undone by the fact that he accused hundreds of the terminated employees of “stealing” from the company by “working two hours per day.” Even though Garg and his team utilized productivity data to formulate their decisions (for roughly 250 of those 900 employees), the behavior here is exactly why more and more workers are growing disillusioned with archaic leadership traits.
  • The U.S. Senate, unsurprisingly, voted to repeal the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate that would take effect on January 18, 2022. As reported by NPR: “Getting vaccinated should be a decision between an individual and his or her doctor. It shouldn’t be up to any politician, especially in a mandate coming down from that highest authority, the president,” Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., who led the effort to overturn the requirement, said during the Senate debate.” The thing about vaccination mandates is this: it’s not about control or authority, it’s about workplace safety. No matter if the Omicron variant is less severe or not (it already appears to be much more transmissible than the Delta variant), the last thing employers want to deal with is another winter surge that will tax the health care system. Vaccine mandates serve two purposes: increase the overall rate of vaccination across the country, and, ensure that workers operating within in-person locations are safe from infection. It’s not an overreach, nor is it an authoritarian play by the government.
  • Longtime Freelancer Management System (FMS) and workforce management platform Shortlist recently rebranded to Worksuite. The solution’s new name reflects the platform’s volume of functionality, including direct sourcing and talent pool technology, global freelancer payment management, as well as all of the hallmarks of the Shortlist offering (such as SOW management, services procurement, deep workforce analytics, compliance and risk mitigation tools, etc.).
  • The first company-owned Starbucks store voted yesterday to unionize. While the size of the store and its workforce are small, this is a major sign that more and more workers, no matter the industry, will see 2022 as a turning point for the transformation of the traditional employer-employee relationship. “Every social justice movement has started from the ground up, from a handful of people who stepped forward to demand change,” U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, said in a statement” (and reported by The Buffalo News). The two key words there? Demand and change. The talent revolution is happening; expect similar instances as we head into 2022.
  • Something that’s not on the business radar for 2022 but should be: employee Net Promoter Scores (eNPS). While eNPS has been around for several years, not enough businesses are leveraging this quantitative means of capturing the qualitative aspects of the employee experience (and employee experience). The Future of Work Exchange estimates that less than 10% of businesses are actively leveraging employee Net Promoter Scores in their greater workforce planning; by understanding the perspectives and feelings of staff, business leaders can formulate the best approaches to talent retention and talent-to-project-alignment.
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The Link Between Workplace Safety and “The Big Quit”

Business LeadershipTalent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

When the Future of Work Exchange launched its flagship research study earlier this year, nearly 90% of business executives stated that they expected operations to return to “normal” within six months-to-a-year. The timing of our research data collection (Q1 2021) meant that by early 2022, the vast majority of enterprise leaders anticipated a better working environment that, in theory, would somewhat resemble pre-pandemic life. That key statistic reflected the hope and optimism brought by three major vaccines that were available to the general public at the tail end of winter. Phrases such as “Hot Vax Summer” were thrown around in anticipation of a return to summer glory after a 2020 that featured lockdowns, social distancing, and, presumably, many canceled vacations and trips.

There’s an interesting angle, though, when we break down that core research data: dig a little deeper into specific verticals and industries, and the picture changes tremendously. Ninety-eight percent (98%) of healthcare businesses believed that normality was, at the earliest, two years away. Retail? 75% stated two years. Distribution and logistics…nearly the same mindset (70% stating two years to normality). Nearly 65% of travel and hospitality concur, as do 62% of those in the education sector.

An article at Business Insider caught my attention for two reasons: 1) it perfectly encapsulated an overlooked reason for the so-called “Big Quit” or “Great Resignation,” and, 2) it struck so close to home, since my wife is a 20-year veteran of the veterinary industry and has been an essential worker since Day One. Human and veterinary medicine are two industries that consistently produce close encounters, crowded surgeries and exam rooms, and nearly no way to adhere to six-foot social distancing guidelines…which means one thing: vaccinations are ever-important in businesses that rely on close worker-to-worker contact to facilitate core operations.

Retail, distribution/logistics, travel, restaurants, education…all sectors that cannot leverage remote or hybrid work at the same scale as an industry like financial services or consulting. And thus, a new trend emerges: workers resigning or quitting due to health and safety concerns. Yes, there’s a talent revolution occurring today and that is something that cannot be overstated; however, in the greater scheme of talent and work, basic health and safety should never be a reason for a worker to voluntarily leave a position. The fact that this is a contributing factor to the ongoing series of resignations across the country means that any conversations around “normality” are shrouded in uncertainty.

Lagging vaccination rates, even in the wake of the Delta variant’s summer-to-fall rampage, mean that those workers that are vaccinated could be anxious regarding their own safety. After a typical shift (or one that careens into overtime hours, which is a reality when there’s a staffing shortage), any onset of sniffles, coughing, or subpar physical feelings can set off a wave of concerns regarding possible COVID exposure. Only 45% of businesses in the Future of Work Exchange Report for 2021 stated that the pandemic forced them to reevaluate their own processes for monitoring health and safety precautions, a far cry from the bigger pressures that businesses experienced over the past 18 months, including the reimagining of workforce management and the increased need for contingent and extended talent.

It’s no secret that many businesses have never taken the pandemic seriously. And it’s also not a surprise to hear that many business leaders have been prioritizing a return to the office for months, even though caseloads began to skyrocket during the summer months and, now, after a decline in October, are beginning to climb once again. Even the most vaccinated states in America (such as Massachusetts, where I live) have seen consistently-high coronavirus caseloads, which means that as more and more businesses push for normalcy, they will be putting their talent directly in harm’s way.

A common refrain regarding unvaccinated workers and those that don’t prioritize the pandemic’s wide-sweeping ramifications is often simple: COVID may not cause serious harm because of their age and vitality, so why mandate vaccines? Why take such rigid precautions? Well, the answer is clear-cut: COVID is caused by a novel virus that was discovered only two years ago. The threat of “long COVID” or passing along the illness to an immunodeficient relative/family member should always be top-of-mind. With the way the Delta variant changed the overall outlook for the pandemic, the government had no choice in instituting a nationwide vaccine mandate that would ensure that workplace environments are safe.

So much attention has been paid regarding the worker revolution happening within the business world, with more and more talented professionals are choosing different career paths, reevaluating their existing journeys, and/or holding out for better compensation. “Workplace standards” have always been a part of the conversation but not the center of this “talent revolution” discussion.

If a worker has no choice but to commute to a physical location and interact with other people, there should never be a question regarding workplace health and safety standards. Any worker that has to come home to children or immunocompromised individuals should not have the added stress of worrying about whether or not they’re bringing a vicious virus into their personal space. And, those workers that have pre-existing conditions that could cause a severe reaction to the coronavirus must be assured from their leaders that they either 1) have alternative work options (such as remote work), or, 2) are working in a facility that promotes social distancing, vaccinations, and actively enforce COVID restrictions within the workplace.

Government mandates will soon curb some of those poor conditions in non-remote, non-hybrid industries, especially as major retailers, medical facilities, warehouses, etc. push for mass vaccinations in the wake of the Biden administration’s new regulatory policies. However, that “return to normalcy” that every business aims for in 2022? Not going to happen if talented professionals continue to leave their positions over workplace safety concerns.

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FOWX Notes: November 5 Edition.

General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Some picked-up pieces from across the exciting world of talent and work:

  • Yesterday morning, the Biden administration announced more details regarding sweeping vaccine mandates for businesses with over 100 employees. In short, employees that are not fully-vaccinated by January 4 will have to produce a verified negative test on a weekly basis and wear masks in the workplace beginning December 5. Positive cases must be removed from the workforce. Fines are hefty: approximately $13,653 for a single violation, and nearly ten-times that amount ($136,532) for businesses that “willfully violate standards.” There is no clarity on the burden of testing costs, however, it is noted that some unions may negotiate employer-paid testing.
  • Employers must provide paid time off for employees to receive vaccines and for any potential side effects. This is an encouraging rule, as there are many, many workers across the country that were vaccine-hesitant only because of the inability to take paid time off. This opens up, potentially, the opportunity for millions of people to comfortably schedule vaccine appointments and not be forced to worry about an unpaid day off.
  • Great quote on the future of hybrid work by Zoom CMO Janine Pelosi during an interview with Digiday: “That word is getting thrown around a lot, but it goes back to the consumer having choice in when or where they spend their time physically or virtually. It’s taking breaks. It’s understanding, at this point in the pandemic, what I do with my time. If I’m going to have a really early start and I know I’ve got some later things, you can bet I’m going to workout in the middle of the afternoon and I’m not going to have a stitch of guilt about it. It’s taking time to go for a walk, have meetings over Zoom phone. I don’t feel that everything always has to be on video. I prefer video, because you miss those connections and it definitely helps to bring those together. But it’s thinking about your day a little bit differently than what you would have if you had been in an office, physical environment.”
  • Congratulations are in order for Talmix, who recently celebrated their five-year anniversary. The solution provider, one the market’s leading digital staffing marketplaces, were recently featured here on the Future of Work Exchange. Check out some highlights from their five years in a blog post by Talmix CEO Sandeep Dhillon.
  • Many businesses often forget that independent contractors and freelance professionals are attempting to get their own businesses off the ground. HoneyBook’s $250 million in Series E funding will go a long way towards contributing to the platform’s main objectives, such as enabling these workers with automation for workflows, client list management, and, most critically, payment and cash flow management.
  • Fiverr continues its reach deeper into the B2B realm by acquiring Tel Aviv-based Stoke Talent, a Freelancer Management System (FMS) that specializes in providing users with both online and “offline” freelancer management benches. The $95M transaction will allow Stoke Talent to operate independently while subsequently supporting (and vice versa) Fiverr’s new products and services regarding agile talent.
  • I’ll be presenting (virtually) on Day Two of the Checkr Forward conference next week. “Are You Missing Half of the U.S. Workforce?” will feature commentary from both Scott Jennings (Checkr’s Director of Industry Strategy & Market Development) and me, as well as some new Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research on the evolution of the agile/extended workforce. Do check it out!
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What’s Ahead for Businesses as Vaccine Mandates Loom?

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Late last year, the arrival of the first COVID-19 vaccines was hailed a medical miracle and scientific triumph that proved the world could begin looking towards a coronavirus-free future. Over the holiday season, first-responders and medical workers received their initial jabs while millions of others patiently waited to book appointments at pop-up centers, repurposed sports stadiums and arenas, pharmacies, and medical facilities. (On a personal note, my wife and I received both of our Moderna doses at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. It was quite an emotional trip on account of receiving an historic vaccine just steps from six Lombardi Trophies.)

The Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines offered a glimpse of hope, one that had been missing for the better part of eight or nine months. As inoculation rates soared throughout the late winter and early spring months, many of us believed that a transcendent summer would be ahead. Vacations were planned while business leaders anticipated reopening offices and getting back to a semblance of pre-pandemic “normalcy.” President Biden aimed for a lofty goal of 160 million adults fully-vaccinated and 70% of adults with at least one shot of a Covid-19 vaccination by July 4, with actual success coming nearly a month later against those numbers.

Then the Delta variant of the coronavirus swept across the world, and in conjunction with continued vaccine hesitancy, put the United States and other nations back to daily caseloads that nearly mirrored the worst numbers of the winter surge. Executives shuffled reopening plans and enterprises braced for what could be another disruptive COVID wave.

In the midst of all of this, the Biden Administration instituted a national vaccine mandate earlier this month, a hint of frustration in its tone with how the pandemic, at this point, was that of an unvaccinated population. With tens of millions yet to get a shot, this was the only scenario the government could envision if it wanted to continue its bounce-back economic recovery and avoid another fall and winter like the 2020 seasons that nearly broke the healthcare system.

The vaccine mandate in and of itself is quite clear: companies with over 100 employees must mandate COVID vaccinations or have its employees undergo weekly testing. There are hefty fines for non-compliance, which was to be expected, with a rush of push-back from unions, state governments, and other groups across the country. However, while many of us are so laser-focused in our original thoughts regarding the mandate, there are many other questions that need to be addressed, all of which fall on the average business to manage in these uncertain weeks and months ahead:

  • Above all else, this is not the government overstepping its bounds, but rather a major effort to vaccinate a large swath of the 80 million people that have not received a shot as of yet. At this point in the pandemic, the science is clear: the unvaccinated are bearing the brunt of the worst outcomes and overloading hospitals in regional hotspots. Too, the Delta variant is known for its ability to spread faster and wider, with millions of fresh infections happening within the unvaccinated community over the second half of the summer. While the vaccines boast incredible safety and efficacy in regard to severe outcomes (hospitalizations and deaths), those who are inoculated are still able to become infected and can pass along the virus to those who may be immunocompromised or who are not eligible to receive the vaccines (such as children under 12). If these business mandates can make an incredible dent in that chunk of 80 million people, it’ll help alleviate the continued burden on the healthcare system and ensure that the upcoming fall and winter seasons are not repeats of 2020.
  • Weekly testing for large organizations can require serious financial resources…who’s on the hook? Some large businesses have instituted on-site testing for workers, with many of these instances in place for months now (some even dating back to mid-2020). Those sectors that require on-site testing and rapid results have benefited from this model, however, with a national vaccine mandate in place, there are serious questions as to the costs of weekly and more frequent testing and if it falls to the business or the worker. While this issue will become more clear in the immediate weeks ahead, it is something worth watching.
  • Exemptions are expected, however, how do businesses manage larger or more concentrated numbers of these instances? A handful of exemptions (religious or medical) in a 250-person company is manageable; a handful of exemptions within a small team within a larger organization is a problem. How do businesses ensure safety while still respecting legal vaccine exemptions? Is remote or hybrid work a solution to this unique issue? Do businesses attempt to cycle in-person days based on a worker’s vaccination status?
  • Could mandates lead to employer retaliation over OSHA violations? Whistleblowers should feel comfortable reporting mandate violations to OSHA without fear of retaliation from employers or managers. While vaccine mandates are now legal, what is not legal is discrimination against employees under the mandates. This opens another discussion regarding how leaders should be promoting vaccine mandates, how workers who feel uncomfortable receiving a shot should communicate with managers, and how violations should be treated. This is a new era for the pandemic and new ground for businesses; a global health crisis forces new ways of working, so executives must always be thinking of what issues could arise.
  • Vaccine status will soon become a prerequisite in future job descriptions. Candidates now face a world in which “vaccination status” is listed alongside required skills for open positions. Hiring managers must be conscious of worker safety, and ensuring that new candidates are vaccinated goes a long way to maintaining a healthy workplace for all members of the workforce. Expect a sharp increase in descriptions that ask for vaccination status over the coming weeks as the business world adapts to another new element of this evolving world of work.
  • There are more nuances to vaccine mandates that are still being developed…so businesses must be ready to tackle these complexities when they are finalized. The pandemic has been one fluid series of events, and the realm of vaccine mandates for the enterprise world should be no different. Leaders must harness the power of true business agility to adapt to the changes that vaccine mandates will bring and ensure that they continue to remain nimble in the face of continued evolving times.

One critical area to watch for in the coming weeks: while many see the mandates as a “hard” push by the government, the fact that employees have the option for weekly testing softens this stance incredibly. However, COVID testing isn’t perfect, especially in a Delta variant-led world. Vaccinations are forward-looking and are meant to stave off negative outcomes, while testing only captures a moment in time. If businesses experience outbreaks that cause major dips in productivity due to a testing failure (i.e., false negative tests, slow responses from labs, shortage of rapid testing supplies, etc.), it could be a crucial turning point in forcing executives to offer one and only one option as a condition of employment: vaccination.

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FOWX Notes: September 24 Edition

General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Some picked-up pieces from across the industry, which we call “FOWX Notes,” for the week ending September 24:

  • The business implications of the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate, whilst expected to be effective in boosting lagging inoculation numbers across the United States, are already (as to be expected) creating plenty of questions for executives and enterprise leaders. Who’s on the hook for COVID testing? Will businesses offer more PTO for vaccine appointments and potential side effects in the days after injection? What are the OSHA implications of non-compliance in enterprises? How do businesses manage competing vaccine exemptions (i.e., multiple workers in the same unit)? There are so many potential issues here that are about to slip to the surface and it will be interesting to see how both businesses and states handle the weeks ahead, especially as more and more businesses begin to include vaccination status in job requests and job descriptions.
  • The Gig Workers Collective has asked customers to delete the Instacart app from their devices in what could be the first of many similar moves for gig workers’ rights. The collective, representing a group of nearly 13,000 Instacart shoppers, is fighting for equitable treatment and compensation for Instacart workers. Nearly half a million contractors work for Instacart, a figure that is 2.5 times bigger than it was before the pandemic (and before on-demand food and grocery delivery became a necessity in the era of social distancing, lockdowns, and quarantines). Batch order payments and default tipping percentages are two of many demands from the collective, which had also pushed for better working conditions during the beginning of the pandemic (especially concerning PPE and paid time off). The group is also asking for occupational death benefits given the risks of working during a pandemic. As Instacart flirts with the idea of going public, groups like the GWC will fight even harder for equity, protection, and better compensation (and benefits) in the months ahead.
  • “Worker burnout is not a mental illness” is a phrase that needs to be eliminated. Nearly every industry now faces worker burnout and fatigue, even without a pandemic backdrop. What the past 18 months have done, however, is transformed businesses in such a way that some sectors (healthcare, veterinary medicine, shift-based work in light industrial and manufacturing) experience workers clocking 50-hour (or longer!) work-weeks, with professionals in remote environments having trouble balancing an “always on” mentality with a laptop frequently within vicinity of wherever they are within their homes. Business leaders are not therapists, nor should they be the ones to diagnose mental health issues. However, worker burnout has become so prevalent that it’s time we reassess its validity as a true mental health issue and how exactly managers and other enterprise leaders can give their workers they support they need.
  • Nearly 80% of businesses plan to transform their workplaces into more attractive destinations for candidates over the next year. New Future of Work Exchange research finds that the vast majority of enterprises are laser-focused on turning their offices into more alluring places to work. Given the personal, professional, and societal changes happening in the greater market, as well as the ongoing “Great Resignation” that started in the spring, businesses face a more expansive war for talent than they ever have before. While there is no cure-all to this transformation, enterprise leaders only have to truly listen to what candidates want to begin this process: flexible working environments, inclusive workplace cultures, clarity on career paths, opportunities to hone key skills, etc.
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FOWX Notes: September 10 Edition

Business LeadershipGeneral InsightsTalent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Some picked-up pieces from across the industry, which we call “FOWX Notes,” for the week ending September 10:

  • The Biden Administration yesterday announced its most sweeping vaccine mandate measures thus far in the pandemic, requiring all all federal workers and contractors to be vaccinated (with limited exceptions in specific cases). Furthermore, all private businesses with 100 or more employees must require vaccinations or weekly tests for its workforce. These measures will affect nearly 100 million Americans and is seemingly a result of a rightfully frustrated government that wants to control the wild and raging Delta variant. Expect lawsuits galore over the coming weeks, as well as push-backs from unions and similar labor groups.
  • The truth is that the Biden Administration was left with no choice; while the Delta variant has caused some vaccinated people to spread the virus, this is still a pandemic driven by the unvaccinated. For a vaccine campaign that is considered the most important and biggest in world history, only 54% of the American population is fully-inoculated. A mandate such as the one announced yesterday will hopefully get the United States to a safer place going into 2022.
  • According to Future of Work Exchange research, 64% of businesses plan to leverage workforce management technology to augment their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, a sure sign that enterprises across the world are now considering this pivotal Future of Work attribute as a key focal area for workforce planning the months ahead. Many professionals are committed to being more diverse and more inclusive in how they think about and structure
  • There needs to be more discussion and focus on non-medical leave for working parents, especially “bonding leave.” Child bonding leave is a separate entity from maternity or paternity leave; for example, in Massachusetts (where FOWX headquarters is located), parents may “take up to 12 weeks of family leave to bond with a child,” which must be taken within the first year of a child’s birth. Currently, only eleven states in America currently offer this type of leave.
  • “Massachusetts’ paid bonding leave is late to the dinner party but a welcome guest. As an HR professional, I have seen too many low- and middle-income employees struggle and in despair to learn they didn’t have disability pay benefits at all, or only had enough for a maternity leave of six weeks postpartum. This was even more heartbreaking of a reality to me when I took my own maternity leave and couldn’t imagine having to bring my new baby to daycare at 6 or 7 weeks old,” says Caitlin Klezmer, Senior HR Business Partner at JLL. “I was fortunate enough to have paid leave far in excess of those previously mentioned. As a working mother who recently returned to work from her bonding leave, I encourage anyone who may think they are eligible to look into these benefits – birthing and non-birthing parents alike. I reserved my bonding leave for the end of my child’s first year, taking it for the last two months before he turned one. The opportunity to temporarily pause my focus on my career unburdened some of my mental load that was becoming overwhelming. This leave allowed me the guilt-free space to focus on my family, including my relationship with myself, my spouse, and my children, while also allowing me to recharge for my return to work.”
  • U.S. jobless claims hit an 18-month low, according to Reuters; this is the lowest weekly figure since March 14, 2020, which, for those keeping track, is the lowest during the pandemic. This may signal optimism that the labor market will continue to grow even in light of a summer surge of coronavirus infections. There are some expectations that the conclusion of federally-expanded unemployment benefits, plus a 2021-2022 school year that is focused on in-person learning, could spark additional growth in the immediate weeks ahead. All of this, however, underscores the fact that the “Great Resignation” is still very much a stark reality that hangs over any labor market news. There are still millions of unfilled jobs/roles, with a standoff between employers and potential candidates (many of which are demanding more flexibility and better benefits). Engagement is going to continue being a critical issue in the months ahead as both businesses and workers haggle over aspects like remote work, work/life balance, and other non-compensatory aspects. (The Future of Work Exchange will feature an exclusive piece on labor market disengagement in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!)
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