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In Switzerland, companies are relying more and more on home offices and are introducing extensive mask requirements. On Sunday, as in March, the Federal Council recommended promoting work from home whenever possible.
The home office and homeschooling don’t get along. For this reason, it is important that schools remain open.
On Sunday, the Federal Council again issued a recommendation to work at the central office as in March. The recommendation was lifted in June after the situation normalized from the point of view at that time. The increase in the number of corona cases led the Federal Council to tighten the measures again.
In the case of the Ministry of the Interior, it is a recommendation and not an obligation. According to the Federal Council, employees should work from home whenever possible. This is not only intended to reduce the risk of infection in the workplace. When fewer people commute to work, contacts on trains, buses or trams also decrease.
The specific measures are understandable to the umbrella economic organization Economiesuisse. The coordinated action of the federal government and the cantons is supported and the increase in protection measures is an important contribution to prevent a second blockade, according to Economiesuisse.
Not caught on the left foot
As an NZZ survey of various companies showed, many companies have prepared for the recommendation of the Federal Council, which was predictable in advance. Unlike in March, most companies did not fall on the wrong foot because the infrastructure for working from home has already improved and security concepts have been developed. During the closing, experience was also gained on what can and cannot be done in the home office. Health Minister Berset said that during the shutdown, between 70 and 80 percent of all employees could have done their work, a large portion of them from home.
In some companies, a large part of the workforce has not even returned to the office. Some companies have also continued with a kind of shift system for employees so that entire departments do not have to be closed in the event of infection.
It’s unclear how much office work promotes the spread of the virus. It is indisputable that the risk of infection is high in closed rooms where several people spend a lot of time together.
Mask requirement introduced
Some companies, such as energy group Axpo, have already introduced a mask requirement at work before. Several companies such as large banks UBS and Credit Suisse issued a mask requirement on Monday. Protective masks must be worn in all UBS buildings. According to a spokesperson, about 80% of employees worldwide work from home anyway.
A concrete example that currently represents many companies: The PwC auditor declares the use of masks mandatory in all office buildings (also in meeting rooms, dining rooms, cafeterias, etc.). The mask can only be removed while sitting, as long as there is a distance of at least 1.5 meters to the next person. Wearing a mask is also required at all events (external and internal events, including meetings and training), PwC announced upon request. Here, too, the mask can be removed while sitting, provided there is a distance of at least 1.5 meters to the next person. PwC also encourages employees to work from home whenever possible. However, the offices remain open.
Also, the Zurich Switzerland insurance company is introducing a general mask requirement at all locations this week. Most of the 6,100 Swiss employees are already working at home, and up to a quarter of the capacity can be used in offices. In Zurich, Switzerland, and at larger UBS locations, the temperature of employees and visitors has already been measured at the entrance of the building, so no data is recorded or stored.
At Helvetia, a general mask requirement applies from Monday in the dining room, but only in the other rooms if the minimum distance cannot be maintained. Business trips abroad, to the extent that they still take place, will stop, and in Germany should also be avoided if possible. Now a maximum of half of the offices can be occupied, the employees of the risk groups must stay at home.
According to a survey conducted on Monday by the AWP news agency, numerous companies such as Novartis, Roche, Lonza, ZKB, Raiffeisen, Migros or Coop have introduced similar forms of mask requirements and encourage employees to work from home whenever possible. .
“Home Office and Homeschooling Don’t Get Along”
For Rudolf Minsch, chief economist at Economiesuisse, there is also another aspect of great importance: “The important thing, however, is that schools, especially kindergartens and primary schools, remain open. The home office and homeschooling don’t get along. In combination, this represents a very heavy burden on families in many cases. “
