Delta Variant Has Workers More Hesitant To Return To Offices

The COVID-19 Delta variant has thrown a wrench into plans for workers to return to offices this fall, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

Add to that the confusion from health officials’ guidance over whether to wear masks and uncertainty about how the vaccinations and disease will play out in the coming weeks, and many people have become “stressed, upset or simply in limbo,” per WSJ.

As the Delta variant began to surge all over the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week reversed its guidance from May and said even vaccinated people should wear masks in some situations, such as highly crowded gatherings where unvaccinated people are present.

WSJ cited a Glassdoor survey in which over 1,000 workers participated, finding that 35 percent of them said they are worried about catching COVID-19 if they came back to the office.

Two-thirds of respondents said they were still eager to return. But that number is down from April’s survey in which almost three-quarters of people said they wanted to come back to the office.

Now, things are fairly split as more companies, both in the public and private sectors, have been mandating vaccination for employees, according to WSJ. The issue of wearing masks at work is equally fraught and divided between people.

WSJ quoted one worker, Max Andre, who said the rise of the Delta variant and the subsequent need for masking up again felt like “going back to square one.”

In related news, Google is among the companies taking new precautions because of the Delta variant and will be postponing the return to offices until October and requiring vaccines.

Read more: Google Requires Vaccines In Delayed Office Return

“Getting vaccinated is one of the most important ways to keep ourselves and our communities healthy in the months ahead,” CEO Sundar Pichai said in the message sent to employees via email.