Most employers to require masks in office

Masks will be part of the employee dress code at 60% of U.S companies as offices reopen despite that 15 states do not require face coverings in the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report released Wednesday by the marketing agency Clutch.

In addition to masks, 71% of employers are planning socially distant seating arrangements and 60% are planning to create sanitation stations installed throughout the space, according to the report, created from a survey of 400 workers across the U.S. from July 2-8.  

Overall, 91% of companies are actively creating guidelines and making changes to prepare their office space for their staff’s return, according to the Costa Mesa-based agency’s report.

Other findings include:

• Thirty-nine percent of workers have returned to their company’s private office space or a shared coworking space; 
• Of the 61% of employees that are still working remotely, preferences for when to return to the office vary: 19% want to return as soon as possible; 15% want to return after September 2020; 13% would prefer to wait until 2021, and 15% don’t want to return at all. 
• Despite regional differences, 29% of workers rank mask requirements as the most important precaution their company should implement as employees return to the office. 

More insurance and workers compensation news on the coronavirus crisis here.