Stepping Up for Employees
The coronavirus pandemic has put millions of Americans out of work. But many of those still working are fearful, distressed and stretched thin.
Anew survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reports that one-quarter of U.S. workers say they have even considered quitting their jobs as worries related to the pandemic weigh on them. A fifth say they have taken leave.
The new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in collaboration with the software company SAP reported that about seven-in-10 workers say juggling their jobs and other responsibilities was a source of stress. Fears of contracting the virus also was a top concern for those working outside the home.
Some good news from the 2020 pandemic has been how employers are helping their stressed-out employees.
The poll found that 57% of workers reported that their employer is doing “about the right amount” in responding to the pandemic; 24% say they are “going above and beyond.” Just 18% say their employer is “falling short.”
That satisfaction seems largely related to physical protections from the virus, which overwhelming majorities of workers considered very important. Still, at least half also say it is very important for their employers to expand sick leave, provide flexibility for caregivers and support mental health, and workers report less satisfaction with efforts in these areas.
The poll also found that while 65% of remote workers say their employers are doing a good job protecting their health, just 50% of those working outside the home feel the same way.
Women and people of color reported being heavily affected by the pandemic as well. Fifty percent of women call the pandemic a major source of stress in their lives, compared to 36% of men. Sixty-two percent of Black workers and 47% of Hispanic workers say it is, compared to 39% of white workers.
Federal labor figures point to a trend of working-age women, particularly Black and Hispanic women, increasingly dropping out of the labor force amid a childcare crisis caused by school and daycare closures.
Many top companies have responded with an array of programs, from increased leave to stipends for childcare or tutors, but those benefits are not reaching the vast majority of America’s workers. Only about 1 in 10 say their employers are providing childcare facilities, stipends or tutoring services. Only 26% say employers are providing extended family leave.
The poll showed that pandemic-related support varies by company size. Workers at companies with fewer than 100 employees were less likely than those at larger companies to praise how their employers have handled many responsibilities during the pandemic.
The AP-NORC survey of 1,015 full- and part-time employees was conducted Sept. 11-16 with funding from SAP. It uses a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population.
The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.