How are Dallas employers handling return to office? Only 8% will require vaccines

Despite the surge in Delta variant COVID-19 cases, companies in North Texas are still unwilling to require vaccinations.

Only 8% of the companies surveyed by the Dallas Regional Chamber require vaccinations for employees to return to the office. While that’s still a low number, it’s 2% more than the previous DRC poll in May.

Their new poll was conducted from August 3rd to 12th and the chamber received 77 responses from 600 members. 156 responded to the previous survey. Of those who responded in the last answer, 35% had 500 employees or more, while the rest had fewer than 500 employees.

Companies that respond to a Dallas Regional Chamber poll say they encourage vaccinations, but an overwhelming majority don’t require it.

Prior to November 2020, when the COVID-19 vaccine first became available, only 54 job postings in an average month required a vaccine, all flu-related as of January, according to a review of 3.8 million job postings by Ladders Inc. up more than 5,000% with all posts that require a vaccine now mentioning COVID.

In the past, it was mostly just health professionals who required vaccinations, but that has changed with the COVID-19 pandemic, said Marc Cenedella, CEO of Ladders.

“We know that not every employer who prescribes a vaccination includes this in the job description. So this is really just the tip of the iceberg. It’s the start of a massive trend, ”said Cenedella. “I expect this exponential growth to continue into the fall and winter, especially after the vaccines get full FDA approval.”

Frisco-based moving company Altair Global requires its employees to get vaccinated before they return to the office – a decision it made in the first half of the year. The officer’s staff do this voluntarily until the end of the year.

CEO Chad Sterling said the decision was difficult because he feels for those who do not want to get the vaccine and cannot be in the office. But from a public health perspective, and to make sure staff are comfortable upon return, Sterling said he thought this was right.

“It’s a tough decision,” he said. “It keeps you up at night.”

Companies are taking various security precautions to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19, with the requirement of face masks for unvaccinated workers being the most common.Companies are taking various safety precautions to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19, with the requirement for face masks for unvaccinated workers to be the most common.

Sterling said that as a global company, it is difficult to have one policy in the US and another in offices outside the US where vaccines are not required.

Dallas-Fort Worth companies that require vaccinations have increased in recent months. In North Texas, more than 45% of people are fully vaccinated.

Dallas-based healthcare provider Baylor Scott & White Health led a wave of northern Texas hospital systems in need of the vaccine, followed by Methodist Health, Texas Health Resources, Children’s Health, and Cook Children’s. At the national level, the major employers Capital One, Google, Microsoft, Tyson Foods and United Airlines also require employee vaccinations.

With cases increasing, 36% of responding chamber firms said they changed the timing of their office return or are considering changing.

Sixty-six percent of DRC companies are fully back in their offices or planning to do so by the end of this year.Sixty-six percent of DRC companies are fully back in their offices or planning to do so by the end of this year.

Seventy percent said they offer or will offer hybrid work options when workers return. 48 percent need a mask to return to the office.

“Imagine seeing these statistics in the pre-COVID era,” said Jessica Heer, senior vice president of the Talent Acquisition Chamber. “We would never have seen this before COVID, so the business world is definitely changing.”

About 40% of the responding businesses are now fully open, including offices that are open but allow people to return on a voluntary basis. By the end of the year, 66% plan to be fully open.

Only 8% of companies currently work with fully remote workers.Only 8% of companies currently work with fully remote workers.

Beth Garvey, CEO of recruitment agency BGSF, said her company had a tentative opening in June and July that allowed 25% capacity employees to participate on a voluntary basis. Those who come into the office so far are mostly parents who don’t have a steady workplace at home to work without the distraction, she said.

“We tell people that we will pick them up where they are,” she said. “If you need a place to go, we’re open.”

Garvey hopes their company will be completely back in the office in the future because they do so much in a collaborative environment, she said.

Hybrid working arrangements are preferred by seven out of ten companies.Hybrid working arrangements are preferred by seven out of ten companies.

BGSF does not require vaccinations to return to the office, a decision that included “interesting conversations” as some members of the leadership team were not vaccinated, she said. BGSF is a statewide $ 300 million company with 400 employees.

The company struck a middle ground by mandating masks in the office and launching a vaccination campaign. Once a month there is a raffle for a $ 500 gift certificate for those who are vaccinated. In addition, everyone who is vaccinated will have an “I” tag on which to withdraw. The company hopes it will help with mental health issues employees struggle with during a pandemic.

“As a company, our culture is inclusive, so we’ve tried to be inclusive here too,” said Garvey. “But I said I reserve the right to change my mind later.”

NTT Data Services' offices in Plano were mostly empty during the pandemic, and when they reopen, employees can choose to come to the office or work from home.  Baylor Scott & White Health, the state's largest nonprofit hospital company, said all employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 1.  Since the delta variant leads to an increase in cases and hospital stays, at least 70 hospitals have taken on the introduction of mandates.Capital One is postponing his return to office for two months to November 2nd, after originally scheduled for September 7th, as the Delta variant spreads in the US

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