Dive Brief:

• Employees in the U.S. say they're not confident in employers' ability to handle the business impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to the results of an Eagle Hill Consulting survey released March 25. Just 32% of employees said their organization has trusted leaders in place to successfully navigate the pandemic, and only a quarter of workers (24%) said they believe that their organizations have "a culture that fosters innovation and collaboration" to withstand these challenging times.
• With respect to working from home, half of employees surveyed said their organization has the technology, tools, and training to transition to fully remote work and 55% are concerned about job security. Only 35% say their organization has the resilience to handle these circumstances.
• Employer communication also is lacking, workers said. Only 39% said their employer is proactive in addressing health concerns of employees and just 31% indicated their employer is proactive in addressing concerns about the economic health of the organization. 

Dive Insight:

With business insecurity mounting, job losses appear imminent as companies are already making cuts to hours, furloughing employees and considering changes to executive pay and sales incentive plans. 

President Trump recently signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which mandates that employers with less than 500 employees must provide emergency leave protections, some of it paid. The IRS and U.S. Department of Labor announced that employers will be eligible for two new payroll tax credits that will "immediately and fully reimburse them" for complying with the leave mandate.

Despite the skepticism about employers, employees say they're confident in their ability to work remotely, according to a Glassdoor/Harris Poll survey. Two-thirds of respondents said they would support a decision to move employees to indefinite remote-work, although 28% said their employer has done nothing in response to the disease's spread.

Technology also plays a huge role in the transition to remote work. Experts say employees’ digital skills can vary and some may not be as adept at managing video conferencing, VPN and other tech solutions critical for remote workers. There’s also a heightened cybersecurity risk from the shift to remote work that all business leaders may need to consider.