Returning to the Office... Should You Wear a Mask or Not? [Jjinbit]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] While COVID-19 is still rampant in South Korea, major countries including the United States have begun returning to office life, leaving the COVID-19 era behind. Employees who had been working remotely are gradually showing up at the office. There is one point that both management and employees have started to question: the mandatory mask-wearing and vaccination, which have become essential parts of our daily lives.

Although the spread of COVID-19 has relatively calmed down in the U.S. and Europe, it is not completely over yet. In this transitional phase, let's take a look at how major companies have adjusted their quarantine measures. Ensuring employee safety is an important role of management, so it is crucial to prepare measures that allow work to proceed without any health risks. Katherine Eild of the Partnership for New York City (PNYC), an organization of CEOs of New York City companies, said, "Masks have created a real psychological barrier to returning to office culture," and that easing restrictions would influence employees to come back to the office.

We can examine mask-wearing inside offices, mandatory vaccination policies, and entry after testing negative for COVID-19. According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 25th (local time), Wall Street is lifting many restrictions relatively quickly, while big tech companies are taking a more conservative approach to easing measures.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

JPMorgan has made mask-wearing inside the office voluntary regardless of vaccination status. Starting from the 4th of next month, the mandatory COVID testing will also be lifted, and employees who test positive will no longer be required to report it. Morgan Stanley requires vaccination to enter the office, but mask-wearing has been voluntary since last month.

Goldman Sachs removed mask-wearing and testing requirements from the 14th of last month, and Citigroup recently allowed masks only for those who want to wear them. Wells Fargo maintains relatively strict regulations compared to other financial firms, requiring unvaccinated employees to always wear masks indoors unless they are eating or drinking. BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm, is encouraging employees to return to the office, requiring attendance at least three days a week, mandatory vaccination, and twice-weekly testing, but masks are no longer required inside U.S. offices.

Big tech companies are taking a conservative stance by maintaining relatively strict measures to consider employee safety. Google requires unvaccinated employees to undergo regular testing and wear masks to enter the office. Meta Platforms, Facebook's parent company, requires employees coming to the office to be fully vaccinated, including booster shots, and mask-wearing follows local guidelines. Amazon changed its policy earlier this month to make both mask-wearing and vaccination optional.

As you can see, there are significant differences between companies. Recently, news has spread about the spread of the 'BA.2' subvariant of the Omicron variant, also known as stealth Omicron, in the U.S. and other countries, causing employees to express renewed health concerns. Most domestic companies are currently following government quarantine measures. It seems that they will soon need to start considering how to adjust internal policies depending on the trend of COVID-19 spread.

Editor's Note[Jeong Hyunjin's Jinbit] is short for 'Real Business Trend,' a corner that showcases trends in corporate management such as organizational culture and HR systems. The emergence of the MZ generation, the expansion of remote work due to COVID-19, and digital innovation all require innovation in organizational culture. Based on analyses from major overseas institutions that have not received much attention until now, we will deliver fresh and differentiated information and perspectives.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.