Four in 10 workers say their employer not screening for Covid symptoms

Those who’ve begun returning to the office report many companies have stepped up cleaning protocols, but some aren’t bothering to screen employees for Covid-19 symptoms.    

That’s according to a recent Gallup poll of almost 2,000 employed respondents. Results indicate precautions employers are taking to slow the spread of Covid-19 in the workplace vary significantly.   The findings come as cases of the novel coronavirus rise in many parts of the U.S., with all states in some phase of reopening following spring lockdowns. 

As Gallup has tracked worker attitudes and behavior related to Covid-19, it’s recorded a seven-percentage-point increase between mid-April and late May in workers saying at least some employees at their workplace have returned to the office.   

In May, one-third of respondents said all or almost all of their colleagues were back at the office. About 70% of workers said their employers are on top of new or more frequent cleaning protocols in the workplace, 58% said their employers consistently provide personal protective equipment and 54% said a six-foot distance between employees or employees and customers is routinely enforced, per Gallup.   

But just 41% said their employers consistently screen workers for cough or fever, and 39 percent said their employers never conduct symptom checks. Of the precautions mentioned, 20% to 33% said they sometimes happen in the office.