A majority of agencies will remain in home offices for the time being
At the end of May, the Federal Council lifted the home office obligation for those companies that have their employees tested once a week for Corona. The association Leading Swiss Agencies has asked its member agencies how they deal with the new rules.
The opening round announced by the Federal Council is a further step towards normality. The home office obligation will be changed into a home office recommendation for those companies that regularly test once a week. In order not to jeopardize the vaccination of the workforce, the return to the office will be gradual. Once all individuals who wish to do so have been vaccinated, the home office rule is to be relaxed with no requirements for repetitive testing. In other words, the home office requirement will be dropped under certain conditions, allowing for a return to agency premises. However, an internal association survey by Leading Swiss Agencies shows that the relaxations have not yet led to a run back to the agency.
Reluctance to return to the agency
44 percent of the agencies surveyed leave it up to their employees to decide whether and to what extent they return to the office, and 34 percent report that they will continue to maintain a high proportion of home offices. In addition, 23 percent report that they will allow those who have already been double-vaccinated to return to the agency premises for an unlimited period of time with immediate effect. Others are lifting the obligation to be present completely or are returning to the office as quickly as possible and with a protective concept.
Critical of the repetitive pool tests
Only just 17 percent of the agencies perform repetitive pool tests. Apparently, these tests cause too much administrative effort. In addition, it is still unclear whether pool testing is also required for companies whose employees mostly work in home offices. Regular self-tests are also only required by a minority (25 percent). In general, the agencies appeal to employees' personal responsibility and recommend that they get tested.
Different handling of mask obligation
It seems that most people have now become accustomed to wearing masks. Nevertheless, there are different approaches with regard to presence requirements should the mask obligation continue to exist for a longer period of time. 44 percent leave it up to the employees to decide whether they want to work in the office despite the mask requirement. For 35 percent of respondents, the mask requirement has no influence on the specifications, but for just under 29 percent it does. When it comes to conducting customer meetings, the picture is very uniform: It goes without saying that customer wishes are taken into account as much as possible, and more physical meetings are now being held again in compliance with the distance and hygiene measures.
