Since last April, mandatory mask usage was common in New York and many gladly adapted for the health and safety of others. It’s hard to believe how controversial a small piece of fabric is. I personally added mask usage to the topics to avoid in business conversations beyond the traditionally taboo topics of religion and politics. After a long 15 months, I was pleased to recently notify our staff that our safety policy was updated to allow vaccinated employees to not wear face masks; however, unvaccinated staff must still wear a mask. Fortunately, more than 80 percent of our employees are now vaccinated so this was welcomed news.
The re-gained freedom was awkward at first, especially as I meet in-person with numerous employees who have been hired in the past year. Our company’s core value of employee safety led to our initial policy of requiring face masks, combined with social distancing. This policy helped prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our workforce.
Federal data shows that because of stay-at-home orders, Americans drove 13 percent less miles last year. In a paradox that is sure to be studied for years, the severity of accidents and deaths skyrocketed in 2020. According to the National Safety Council, in 2020, vehicle crash fatalities increased by eight percent and the fatality rate per 100 million miles increased 24 percent. How can this be? Wide open highways invited reckless driving and traffic enforcement was also down. In several states, speeding tickets given for driving over 100 mph more than doubled.
As more employees return to the workforce in the second half of 2021, safety habits will have to be watched closely. Much like drivers on the road, they may need to be reminded of good practices and limits. Some employees will return to work reluctantly. While it may not be the kicking and screaming of a young child being buckled into a car seat for the first few times, it may be close to it, and we all need to be ready. The anger or resistance probably have nothing to do with the actual work; it could be something as simple as employees have gotten used to wearing shorts or sweatpants while working from home, and now must conform to workplace dress standards again.
It will be very interesting to see how this will play out in the future workplace, post pandemic. Many companies fully functioned with remote employees doing jobs that would never have been thought possible to operate outside the walls of a corporation. We all must consider what is best for business continuity, productivity, and employee retention. Will employees leave companies to join more flexible, progressive companies that allow 100 percent remote work if their company is too rigid? These are scenarios many of us will face. Let’s make sure we remember how we adapted in 2020 to get through the tough times, as there may be better ways of running the business, especially if the end customer has been satisfied.
If traditional companies migrate to more remote workers, could the resulting open space at companies be like those open highways of 2020 inviting recklessness? A drop in housekeeping standards? A shift in budget priorities away from facility maintenance? Only time will tell. Until then, please operate within the speed limit and stay away from triple digits on your speedometer. WW
About the Author: Eric LaCoppola is President of Environment One Corporation and a member of the WWEMA Board of Directors. WWEMA is a non-profit trade association that has been working for water and wastewater technology and service providers since 1908. WWEMA’s members supply the most sophisticated leading-edge technologies and services, offering solutions to every water-related environmental problem and need. Learn more about WWEMA at www.wwema.org.
