In the past, company safety policies are revealed during new hire onboarding, not during recruitment. While each company’s workflow is unique, most safety policies are determined more by the industry than individual company practices. Teams that work in high places use fall protection. Those in kitchens wear gloves and close-toed shoes. Where each team allows for slack or innovates new safety methods are discovered internally after hiring. But the recent pandemic and the methods of business reopening have introduced a new element to job-finding and decision-making: post-pandemic safety.

Last year, millions of businesses closed their facilities, venues, and office buildings so the workforce could work from home in quarantine. In the new-normal environment, businesses are reopening and bringing employees back to the workplace. New on-site roles have manifested and roles emptied by the pandemic must be refilled. But what viral safety environment are new hires stepping into?

COVID Safety in the Workplace

Today, whether professionals feel comfortable returning to a place of work (rather than working remotely from home) depends entirely on the precautions taken by the employer. Masks may be mandatory, but how well is that enforced? Are their coworkers wearing gloves or will they rely on regular sanitization methods instead?

Professionals may be concerned about having private offices or sharing group workspaces with team members. The fact of the matter is that each workplace is taking its own unique approach to safety precautions. Thus, professionals are free to choose their employment based on the work conditions.

Advertising Post-Pandemic Safety in Job Listings

A rising trend we’re seeing is companies mentioning their COVID safety measures in the details of job listings. This makes sense, as job safety can and is a major selling point – especially in risky times like these.

Companies are listing their sick-leave policies within the first few paragraphs of their job listing descriptions. Many detail their mask, glove, sanitization, and distancing policies designed to keep employees safe.

It’s easy to see why this is a trend, as professionals will be choosing their place of work based on job safety.

Variations of Post-Pandemic Safety Measures

Masks, gloves, and sanitizer may be the standard. However, businesses are also innovating some incredible post-pandemic safety measures that can really make a difference. Many larger buildings are implementing infrared fever detection as people (employees, clients, and visitors) enter the building and further screening anyone with an unusually high temp.

Others are using face recognition technology, not to see faces, but to tell when masks aren’t covering faces inside the building. Some companies with revenue to invest have remodeled their buildings to create more private offices in place of open plans. Others have simply rearranged desks to ensure 6+ feet between employee workstations at all times.

The extent and specifics of workplace safety vary, and it should be up to candidates to decide which employers they would feel the safest working with on-site.

Job Boards Spotlighting COVID Safety Policies

As safety precautions become an embedded part of our ‘new normal’ economy, job boards have the option to adapt as well. This could be an opportunity to emphasize COVID safety as another searchable point between job listings and job-seekers. The question is how to quantify the details of COVID safety.

Having a private office may become as important a data point as the remote work sorting mechanism. Many professionals feel more comfortable working as no-contact drivers than they would working in a shared workspace with an open floorplan and group lunch room.

Companies and job-seekers are already using job board’s available features to spotlight their COVID adaptations using the remote work tag but there could be more options on the table.

Learn More About Post-Pandemic Safety Policies

Should job boards adapt to the new normal with new job listing data points? We’re sure to see each job board and brand adapt in their own unique ways. Indeed, we look forward to witnessing which methods work best. Contact us for more hiring insights for businesses and job seekers.