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In many open-plan offices in Switzerland, the mask requirement has been in place since Monday, as a survey by this newspaper shows. Some companies have introduced particularly strict rules for their employees.
In some companies it is already a reality: the mask in your own workplace.
Photo: Alexandre Marchi (Photopqr / L’est Républicain)
Since Monday, working in the office has not only become lonelier, but also more uncomfortable. A survey of several large companies shows that since the beginning of the week, many companies have introduced a mask requirement in addition to the home office. While this applies to most corporations, especially in hallways, elevators, and dining rooms, some companies like the Zurich insurance company are particularly strict: there, office workers have to wear the mask all the time. time, even in your own workplace.
“It is mandatory to wear a mask in all areas of the building at our locations at all times, including in the workplace and in all physical meetings,” explains a Zurich spokeswoman. The mask can only be removed for “immediate catering”. “The development, with the number of cases increasing again, shows that this very cautious return strategy is appropriate,” the spokeswoman said. Furthermore, Zurich Switzerland allows a maximum of 25 percent of the workforce to work from the office.
Masks on the benches
The big banks have also reacted. There, the mask requirement now applies to branches as well. Banking customers of UBS, Credit Suisse or Raiffeisen should wear a mask in public access areas, banks explain on demand. At UBS and Credit Suisse, this also applies to office space. Exception: “If an employee is in the workplace and a safe distance can be maintained, the mask can be removed,” explains a UBS spokesperson.
Meetings should not be held physically on instructions from the bank, but should be held through digital channels. In case a physical meeting is necessary, the mask can only be removed if a safe distance can be maintained in the meeting room. The same applies to Credit Suisse and KPMG auditors.
“We comply with the requirements of the authorities, who currently do not foresee a mask requirement in the offices.”
Large retail companies have also tightened measures: but while Migros and Manor rely on masks, except in their own workplaces with enough safety margin, Coop is sidestepping. There is no mask requirement in the office: “We comply with the requirements of the authorities, who currently do not foresee a mask requirement in the offices,” says a Coop spokeswoman.
Manor, however, had already ordered a mask requirement last Thursday. This applies to department stores, logistics and headquarters, and also in break rooms and during meetings, even with only two people in a room. The new regulations have been in force at the headquarters of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives since Monday.
Since Monday, SBB has also required a mask on all buildings. Employees can only remove protection at work, a spokesperson said. Employees can also remove masks in break and meeting rooms if they can comply with hygiene rules.
Novartis and Nestlé have gone ahead
Other companies have already gone ahead: Nestlé Switzerland was one of the first companies to make the mask mandatory in the office. Also, body temperature is measured there at the entrance doors.
At the Novartis pharmaceutical company, mouth and nose protection has been mandatory in all buildings since the end of August. Even those who went to the shops and restaurants on the Basel campus had to wear a proportionate mask. The healthcare company saw itself as a pioneer. However, for company streets and areas between buildings on campus, there is currently no mask requirement; They are also not as busy as the pedestrian areas of Paris or other cities where there is a general outdoor mask requirement.
Roche made the use of masks mandatory in all indoor areas and parking lots last week based on its own assessment of the overall number of infections, as did LafargeHolcim. In the cement factory, your own workplace is excluded if there is sufficient distance.
Collaboration: Maren Meyer, Isabel Strassheim
