Leadership Group members expect that remote work strategies will be a part of life in the regional economy even beyond the lifting of shelter-in-place orders, according to the latest survey of Leadership Group CEOs and executives.
While recognizing that not every business and not every role in an organization is set up for remote work, COVID-19 has forced members to adapt. The innovation economy has risen to the challenge with web-conferencing tools developed in this region by Leadership Group member companies, such as Microsoft, Cisco, Zoom, Google, and others.
The results continue to inform an ongoing, collaborative effort between the Leadership Group with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Cindy Chavez, in a voluntary regional “Cut the Commute” pledge announced on July 13th.
Here are the findings:
ALTERNATING SCHEDULES TO PROTECT THE WORKFORCE: We asked about implementing an alternating workday agreement (also known as an A/B schedule) to accommodate physical distancing needs in the workplace:
- 4-in-10 employers have already implemented A/B schedules or are planning to.
- Increases to 8-in-10 when including those who would consider A/B schedules.
INCREASED FLEXIBILITY IN REMOTE WORK POLICIES: We asked about the anticipated flexibility in frequency that workers with remote work privileges could do so, after shelter-in-place orders are lifted:
- Nearly 6-in-10 of employees allowed to work remotely would be permitted to do so at least 3 days a week on average
- More than 8-in-10 would be allowed to work remotely at least once per week
SIGNING ON TO A VOLUNTARY COMMUTE REDUCTION: Member companies, employees, and our communities have sacrificed greatly in an effort to flatten the COVID-19 curve, staying home in a near-total shutdown of the economy. We asked whether members, now with several months of continuous remote experience, would be willing to sign onto a regional remote work pledge, to “maintain the gain” of some silver linings such as reduced traffic congestion and improved air quality.
- Over half of surveyed CEOs and executives would consider signing a pledge, with more than 30% indicating they would continue practices to reduce commutes well beyond the end of COVID-19 and potentially indefinitely
- 1-in-5 would not be able to sign onto a regional agreement, due to the nature of their business
- Stand out member companies that have signed onto the pledge include TechCU (250+ employees) and San Jose Water (400 employees)
To learn more about the voluntary “Cut the Commute” pledge, visit the Air District website here.
Since March 11, 2020, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group has conducted “Pulse Surveys” of member companies to gauge the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses and employees. We do this to learn from each other and share about key decisions and steps being taken to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. This is the seventh in the series of Pulse Surveys.
This most recent survey conducted was closed on July 3rd and responded to by 58 CEOs and C-suite executives. A broad spectrum of start-ups, small, mid-sized and large employers participated in the survey.
The full results can be viewed here.
– Stephen Tu, Director of Transportation Policy, July 29, 2020
