Survey says Colorado businesses are still working from home
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Many companies across Colorado are still offering some work from home options for their employees, according to a survey.
The Colorado Chamber of Commerce received responses from 50 businesses across 16 different industries in the city. According to that survey, 87% of participants said they offer full or partial work from home options, and 62% said the change has had a neutral impact on productivity.
Locally, the Chief Executive Officer of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development, Dirk Draper says the survey runs true for locally.
"With our strong professional, technical services sector, that we have in our community, it's pretty consistent," Draper explained.
The push to work remotely came with the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Jared Polis initiated a 'Stay at Home' order in March, forcing non-essential businesses to figure out work-at-home solutions.
While Colorado has moved into the 'Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors,' many companies have continued to keep their employees out of their traditional buildings.
The survey says 34% of businesses say they allow all employees to fully work remotely, and 17% allow them to partially work remotely.
Only 6.5% of the businesses surveyed say they cannot have their employees work from home.
Another concern from employers were liabilities when their employees returned to work. 65% of those surveyed hoped future federal relief would in the form protection.
"From an employer standpoint, there's concern that an employee, a customer, a visitor or a supplier who comes to their place of work, their brick and mortar place of work, and could claim they were exposed to the coronavirus in that location," Draper says.
The local chamber office just released their own toolkit for employers and employees to look at if they have questions.
Read it here. For more information, the chamber is holding a telephone town hall on Friday morning.