Unlike health care settings, public transportation and day care centers—where masks are still required by state and federal mandates—businesses like Google and JPMorgan now have the freedom to make their own mask and vaccine rules in Chicago. Much of the decision-making is based on COVID-19 data, feedback they’re hearing from employees and how often workers are frequenting the office, they say. Several companies Crain’s talked to are operating on a hybrid model in which work is taking place both at the office and remotely.
At Google’s Chicago headquarters, working out of the Fulton Market office is still optional for its 1,500 local employees. If they do show up, masks are no longer required for those who are fully vaccinated. If employees don’t have their shots or have an approved accommodation, they are required to wear masks in the office and undergo regular COVID-19 testing.
Similarly at JPMorgan Chase, masks are voluntary for fully vaccinated corporate employees in Chicago. If workers are unvaccinated or decline to disclose their vaccination status, they are required to continue wearing a mask in the office except when seated at their desk, socially distanced, or eating and drinking, according to a memo the firm sent to employees.
“Please get vaccinated,” the memo reads. “We agree with health authorities that the COVID-19 vaccination is the best protection against severe illness. Having high vaccination rates in our buildings will allow us to return to normal business operations.”
JPMorgan Chase’s 9,000 non-bank-branch employees in Chicago have been going to the company’s corporate office on rotational schedules since February, according to a JPMorgan Chase spokesperson. Depending on their roles, some employees are in five days a week, while others operate on hybrid schedules.
The situation at Horizon Therapeutics, a Deerfield-based biopharmaceutical company, entails more of the same. The firm is no longer requiring masks in the office for its 700 local employees, but vaccines are still required, says spokeswoman Catherine Riedel. Horizon is also encouraging employees to receive the COVID-19 booster.
“Horizon’s leadership team decided to require all employees be vaccinated because as a leading health care company, it is the right thing to do,” Riedel said in a statement. “We have a duty to ensure the safety of our employees, the patients and physicians we serve and also protect the most vulnerable members of the communities where we live and work.”
Dropping mask mandates is likely one tactic employers are using to attract workers back to the office. When the options are sitting in an office with a mask on for eight hours a day or working comfortably from home, employees have often opted for the latter. Plus, going maskless in the office makes in-person communication and collaboration easier, making going to an office a more productive use of time, says Fran Liontakis, a regional director in Chicago for staffing and human resources consulting firm Robert Half.
“Communication has always been challenged when you have mask mandates,” she says. “There’s a little sigh of relief that the communication will be a lot more effective.”
At Jellyvision, a Chicago-based employee-benefits software company that employs about 300 people, CEO Amanda Lannert says the firm is following the city and state’s lead on mask requirements as it tries to make the office a more attractive option for those who want to work there.
“[Masks] interfered with why they’d come to the office: for human interaction and face-to-face meetings,” Lannert says in a statement. “As we match our mask status to Chicago’s, we will continue to encourage employees to prioritize their physical and mental health and safety … to do what feels best to them.”
While masks are now optional at Jellyvision, being vaccinated is not. Unlike other companies, Jellyvision employees must be vaccinated to enter the office, a policy marketing tech company ActiveCampaign has adopted as well.
The rules are a little looser at software marketplace startup G2, which employs 260 people locally. Neither masks nor vaccines are required to work at the company’s office. However, masks are recommended, regardless of vaccination status, if an employee was exposed to COVID-19, is immunocompromised or has immunocompromised family members and friends. Going to the office is completely voluntary.
“At G2, we also ask employees to make the best decision for themselves and their loved ones about attending events or working in-office,” Officer Operations Manager Hannah McMaster said in a statement. “In addition, we ask all G2ers to be respectful of their teammates’ decisions as we move into this new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic together.”
Illinois and Chicago officials lifted COVID-19 restrictions in response to low case numbers in Chicago and around the state once the omicron surge began to subside. Some in Chicago’s medical community have supported the decisions, even saying it’s time to begin looking at the COVID-19 pandemic as more of an endemic situation, while others have warned it’s too soon.
Ahead of mitigations being lifted today, Cook County Health physicians said over the weekend that they still advise masks be worn indoors.
“Until we have significantly higher vaccination and booster rates, we should not let our guard down,” Dr. Sharon Welbel, director of hospital epidemiology and infection control at Cook County Health, said in a statement. “Wearing masks indoors helps protect those who remain at risk for serious illness due to COVID, including those who are unvaccinated by choice or due to their age, or underlying health conditions.”
Chicago reported 250 COVID-19 cases on Feb. 25, down 30% from the week prior, according to the city’s COVID-19 dashboard. Hospitalizations and deaths were also down about 40% from the prior week. The positivity rate was at 1.4% as of Feb. 25, and about 76% of Chicagoans have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
>>>#ad: Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!
Originally Appeared Here