The New York Times - USA (2020-08-09)

SINCE THE CORONAVIRUShit the

United States in the spring, about
35 percent of American workers
have switched to telecommuting,

according to a recent survey by
the National Bureau of Economic
Research. And with the end of
summer fast approaching, you

may be wondering about your
return to the office — should you
return at all.

Or even if you continued to go
into work, you might feel uneasy
about the rising number of cases
across the country and the

prospect that you or your col-
leagues may contribute to the
spread of the virus. The Occupa-

tional Safety and Health Adminis-
tration, known as OSHA, has
suggested that employers develop
an infectious disease prepared-

ness and response plan, as well as
implement basic preventive meas-
ures, like promoting frequent

hand-washing and telling employ-
ees to stay home if they are sick.
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention also has a list of

best practices, such as identifying
how employees could be exposed
to the coronavirus at work and

encouraging them to wear face
coverings.
Still, employers may not enforce
safety precautions because

OSHA’s recommendations are not
mandatory, said Merrick Rossein,
a professor at CUNY School of

Law. “The biggest problem and
complaint from lots of advocacy
groups is that there’s very little
teeth,” he said. Virginia took the

matter into its own hands last
month, becoming the first state to
mandate workplace safety rules in

response to the pandemic.
In any case, “there’s no way you
can just completely eliminate the
risk, but what you have to do is

minimize the risk,” said Wafaa
El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiolo-
gy and medicine at Columbia

University. “It will require every-
body doing their bit.”
Here are some tips and things
to take into consideration as you

figure out your return to the office.

Be prepared for things
to look different.

“The whole process of coming into
the office is likely going to
change,” said Elizabeth Brink, a

principal and global work sector
leader at the architecture and
design firm Gensler.

Some businesses have set up
contactless entries: Employees in

certain properties developed by

Rudin Management in New York

can enter the building hands-free

by pulling up a QR code on an app

created by its tech start-up, Pre-

scriptive Data, that also allows

users to check the air quality and

elevator wait times (some are

limited to four riders at once).

Additionally, the developer has

installed sanitizer dispensers at

each entry point of its office build-

ings as well as diagrams that

illustrate how to enter and exit the

building to prevent crowding.

Once you reach the area where

your desk is, you’ll probably no-

tice that seats have been re-

arranged to ensure social distanc-

ing. “Any office that I’ve heard of

that has hot-desking” — or un-

assigned seating — “as the basis

for their layout has abandoned

that,” said Colin Koop, a partner at

the New York office of SOM, a

global architecture and design

firm.

His workplace introduced a

checkered seating layout that

allows for about 40 percent maxi-

mum occupancy. The tentative

plan is for employees to be phased

back in progressively and eventu-

ally split into two groups that

alternate coming in every two

weeks to maintain that spacing.

Some of SOM’s clients are in-

stalling plexiglass dividers be-

tween desks, which has been

recommended by OSHA for all

work environments, particularly

in retail and manufacturing.

Many employers are also pep-

pering their businesses with

signage, said Ms. Brink, whether

it’s a reminder for employees to

wash their hands, wear masks or

limit occupancy in common areas.

The goal is to clearly communi-

cate, and enforce, safety precau-

tions that may put employees at

ease.

You may not notice invisible

changes, like improvements made

to the space’s air quality. “There

are advanced cleaning technolo-

gies somebody can put in that

require a specialist,” said Joseph

Gardner Allen, the deputy director

of the Harvard Education and

Research Center for Occupational

Safety and Health.

Find out what’s

expected of you.

Enforcing social distancing and

the use of face coverings in the

workplace are the most critical

safety measures, Dr. El-Sadr said,

but you may encounter other

precautions, too. For example,

your employer may be staggering

employees’ return dates. If so, you

could find out who goes first:

those deemed most essential or

those who volunteer? Will shifts

be staggered throughout the week

to reduce density in the office, or

throughout the day, so employees

relying on mass transit can avoid

commuting during rush hour?

The C.D.C. suggests employees

fill out daily health surveys and

disclose whether they have

Covid-19 symptoms before coming

into work. But that comes with

limitations. “You have some peo-

ple who may minimize the symp-

toms, and you have some people

who might exaggerate the symp-

toms,” Dr. El-Sadr said. But she

has found that “most people will

be quite honest.”

Employers may also implement

daily temperature screenings.

Related Companies — the main

developer behind the Hudson

Yards complex in New York City

— has installed infrared cameras

in the lobbies of several large

office buildings in the city that

signal when a person’s tempera-

ture is over 100 degrees, said

Philippe Visser, Related’s presi-

dent of office development. Some

companies are putting technology

in their employees’ hands: The

staff returning to work at Rudin

Management’s New York office

has been checking symptoms

using an app from a company

called TrueCare24, said Samantha

Rudin, the firm’s senior vice presi-

dent.

While not all people who test

positive for the coronavirus have a

fever, if an employee is feeling

feverish and knows her tem-

perature will be checked before

going into the office, she may be

more inclined to stay home, Dr.

Allen said.

It’s also important to under-

stand how your company will

respond if an employee tests

positive for the coronavirus. In

most cases, employers shouldn’t

have to shut down their facilities,

according to the C.D.C. If fewer

than seven days have passed

since a sick employee has been at

work, the C.D.C. suggests closing

off any areas she had used for

prolonged periods of time. If

possible, the employer should wait

24 hours before cleaning and

disinfecting, lest other workers

become exposed to the virus, and

open doors and windows to allow

for ventilation.

Employers should also alert

workers who may be infected and

ask them to stay home for two

weeks while they monitor their

symptoms.

Keep in mind that your employ-

er’s strategy for reopening most

likely depends on your industry

and your company’s resources. If

your employer hasn’t already

announced its plans, ask about

them. “Your company and build-

ing should be communicating

frequently about what strategies

they’re putting in place,” Dr. Allen

said.

Know your rights.

If you feel as if your employer isn’t

taking the necessary steps to

ensure your safety or is discrimi-

nating against you for any reason,

read up on federal, state and local

laws.

The Equal Employment Oppor-

tunity Commission enforces sev-

eral federal anti-discrimination

laws, including the Americans

With Disabilities Act. If an em-

ployee has a disability that puts

her at greater risk from the coro-

navirus, she may be entitled to

accommodations that would re-

duce her exposure, like a modified

work schedule or shift assign-

ment, unless the employer can

prove the accommodations would

be an undue burden on it.

The Family and Medical Leave

Act offers 12 weeks of unpaid

leave to full-time workers who

have worked for their employer

for at least one year; 13 states and

Washington have laws that re-

quire paid sick leave; and the

Families First Coronavirus Re-

sponse Act, an emergency meas-

ure passed in March by the federal

government, offers two weeks of

paid sick leave to eligible employ-

ees who are ill, quarantined, seek-

ing diagnosis or preventive care

for coronavirus. It also covers

those caring for a sick relative or

child whose school is closed or

whose child care provider is un-

available.

Additionally, in the early days of

the pandemic, several large em-

ployers, like Apple and Walmart,

announced new sick leave policies

in response to the outbreak.

Not sure where you stand? Find

a local advocacy group that can

offer advice. There’s Make the

Road New York, a nonprofit with

sister organizations in a number

of states, which supports workers’

rights and offers legal services to

those in need. Or reach out to A

Better Balance, a national non-

profit that often receives calls

through its help line from preg-

nant and low-income workers who

may be entitled to specific accom-

modations but aren’t sure of their

rights, according to Dina Bakst, a

president and a founder of A

Better Balance.

Employees can only do so

much, Ms. Bakst said: “The onus

should be on the employer to

ensure health and safety.”

Nervous about the possibility of going back to the workplace?

Here’s what to take into consideration.

BY SARA ARIDI

Prepare to Return

To Your Office

JARED SOARES FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2020 D 3

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As the title implies, cruelty is a prerequisite for “Cut-

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Bond Over

These Shows

Want to laugh and learn with

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these seven reality series.

BY NOEL MURRAY

MARK BOURDILLON/

LOVE PRODUCTIONS