Bloomberg Industry Group union: Let’s not rush back to the newsroom

Bloomberg Law reporter Fatima Hussein, who is president of the union that represents editorial staffers at Bloomberg Industry Group, sent out the following on Wednesday:

Dear Colleagues,

In late December and early January, the Guild at Bloomberg Industry Group conducted a survey of Guild-covered employees. We came away with two clear messages:

– No Return to Office Until a Large Percentage of the American Population is vaccinated. It’s not just the people we meet at work, but those we may encounter venturing far from our homes.

– Accommodations are critical for employees with family obligations and health concerns.

The survey was open-ended to empower employees to freely share their views and opinions. The Guild team analyzed the results to develop some central themes which we discuss below.

Guild Recommendations:

1. The company should offer permanent work from home options even after the pandemic.
2. The company should provide an additional work from home stipend. Based on the survey responses we are recommending $500.
3. We are hearing concerns about equipment costs related to printing and monitors. The company should look at a way to provide monitors to those who request them.
4. There should be a process where employees feel comfortable sharing their cost concerns with managers and they are taken seriously and not scoffed at asking for the resources they need to do their jobs.
5. Bloomberg Law leadership should make it clear to all employees that they should allow employees to take breaks and make up the time.
6. Bloomberg Law leadership should make sure that work loads are manageable in a 7.5 hour day.
7. All news departments should ensure that employees doing breaking news or being on call are rotated through and properly compensated.
8. We understand that managers have obligations at home as well. However, if an editor is going to be unavailable for hours at a time, they should designate a backup manager whom employees can contact.
9. Management should create a process for employees to report discriminatory behavior. In this survey, allegedly racist behavior was called out, but no system was outlined for that worker to bring a complaint.
10. The Company should be more transparent with the COVID infections in the Return to Office population. This impacts workers’ willingness to go back to the office.
11. The Company should commit to no more layoffs during a global pandemic.

Central Themes While Working at Home:

– Work from home has been a great blessing for a vast majority of the workforce. Employees report better work-life balance, being more productive, and being able to focus more not being in an open office.

– Work from home has a distinct impact on working families. Respondents with children have highlighted challenges juggling childcare, schooling, and engagement with children.

– Others raised concerns about teamwork and collaboration. Some indicated that it is hard to get in touch with editors or managers during the day, others about CITRIX and WebEx and Teams failing.

– A few raised concerns about issues disconnecting at the end of the day and a few that they have accidently worked overtime.

– The work from home subsidy was appreciated. Employees reported spending on average an additional $567 in equipment/work from home expenses. The modal amount is $250. The company should explore providing an additional subsidy to those who request it.

– Items most in need by employees include better desk/chairs, printers and ink, monitors, and office supplies, including pen and paper.

– Employees also shared that they faced increasing costs related to utilities and internet due to working from home. For employees who make less money, this cost has a disparate impact on them.

– Employees overwhelmingly want the ability to work from home in a post pandemic world. 86.6% of employees reported wanting to work at least one day per week from home. 20% want to work from home full time. On average, employees reported wanting to work 2 to 3 days per week from home.

– Managers have been accommodating, with a few exceptions in Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Tax.

Vaccines and Return to the Office:

–  Most survey respondents plan to take the vaccine: 72% said they would do so as soon as it’s an option; 16% are interested but want to wait, citing concerns about side effects or prioritization of high need populations; 5.5% said they are unwilling to take it under any circumstances; 4.1% said they have conditions about the kind of vaccine or may be expecting a child.

– Almost all of the respondents said they are not comfortable returning to the office until a large percentage of the American population has been vaccinated and the infection rate is consistently lower.

– Several colleagues shared concerns about the open office layout and a desire for more information on cleaning and air circulation.

– We asked about plastic wall dividers similar to Bloomberg LP’s. The response was less enthusiastic than on other issues, but 57% said it would be necessary to have them to return to the office; 35% said no; and the rest were unsure. The biggest concerns were the airborne nature of the virus and the fear that dividers would not account for aerosol going above the divide. Others felt that the company would do better to mandate vaccination.

– A few expressed concerns about having to wear a mask all the time in the office and said they wanted to return only when that was no longer a requirement.

– Several colleagues reported either having personal health issues or a family member with a personal health issue that makes them hesitant to ever return to the office.

– Others reported that they need to make sure schools are reliably open.

– Several shared that they had concerns about transit, including possibly needing to buy a car, or making sure Metro is reliably clean and reliably running.

– A consistent theme in the responses was that it was important that the employer “not rush” people back to the office.

– About 15% of the survey respondents have spent at least one day back in the office. Among these respondents, the response has been extremely positive with a minor concern about needing more vegetarian meal options and the impact of plastic bottles on the environment. Some did express a concern that their comfort level may change as more people come into the office.

– A concern was raised that, when there are COVID cases being reported in the office, that information is only being communicated to the people in that specific office.

The Office Experience was Positive for Returning Workers So Far:

-11 people reported going back to the office either in Arlington or at K Street offices.

-Two went in to pack a desk and have not returned.

-One of those employees came into contact with more people than he or she cared to encounter.

-The other nine report positive experiences, with one asking for more vegetarian meal options and another raising concerns about plastic waste of water bottles.

-Several people who have declined to return to the office have shared concerns that the company is not alerting the entire workforce when there are positive cases in the office.  If a person is considering returning to the office, they need complete information. Say for example, there have been five infections in the Crystal City Office. Knowing this will help a person make a more informed decision.

Medical Costs and Leave:

– 15% of the survey respondents raised concerns about medical and insurance costs with several colleagues complaining about insurance not covering the cost of a COVID test, another shared a concern about COVID related medical expenses not being covered.

– A few people were concerned about the serious nature of COVID depleting their sick bank.

– A few people expressed concerns that they have underlying medical conditions and that the company may attempt to reduce coverage in the future.

– A few also expressed concerns that medical costs seem to increase but not at the same rate as a salary, thereby leaving them behind.

Student Loan Support:

A vast majority of our survey respondents (96%) said that they would strongly support the company taking concrete steps to support student loan repayment.  As one person pointed out, the company benefits from our education and expertise; shouldn’t they help to pay for that?  Another person shared how their crushing student loans is keeping their family from being able to afford a house. Another person shared that they would be dead before they paid off their law school loans.

It is important to note: There are not many things that Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, former President Trump, and President Biden agreed on. They did agree on the CARES Act and providing the ability for companies to pay student loan expenses with no tax liability for the employee.

Other Findings:

Although this survey was focused on Return to Work, the Pandemic and Provisions of the CARES Act there were a few other issues that emerged:

– Guild employees are worried about layoffs. One respondent shared that they wish the company would stop doing layoffs so they “can concentrate on their work responsibilities and not be worried if they will have a job during this pandemic.”

– Guild employees are concerned about diversity and inclusion. One Bloomberg Tax employee shared how his or her manager allegedly said racist things during team meetings, but that no one is empowered to challenge the manager. Another Bloomberg Law employee shared how his or her manager does not respect “older” employees and disparages them.

– Several people shared concerns about transparency about promotions. In several cases, rather than posting a position, managers allegedly simply selected people to fill spots.

– Several people raised concerns about employee morale and upper management being sensitive to the different needs of employees.

If you have any questions about the survey results, send me an email.

In Solidarity,