Poll: COVID-19 Work Life Effects
How is COVID-19 Affecting Your Work Life?
We’ve all been facing an unprecedented situation this spring. We wrote last month that we wanted to hear from you about your situation, your needs and your hopes for the future. Thank you to everyone who has called in, sent an email or commented on our poll – we’ve been very encouraged by how y’all are hanging in there! For our poll, we asked how COVID-19 is affecting your work life. We had a solid turnout of 12,930 votes this month!
The results were fairly evenly split this month. Across the nation, we’re all facing the pandemic together but it’s affecting our work in different ways. 17% of you are working from home while another 17% are working while social distancing. Another 17% have been furloughed for the time being. 15% are working reduced hours while 14% are working with reduced pay. 12% have unfortunately been laid off while 2% have been terminated. Only 6% indicate they’ve had no change.
As you’ll read in the comments below, it’s been difficult for all of us. We’ve noticed how hard many of you are working to stay positive. This is a tight-knit community and many of you expressed your hopes for everyone to stay safe.
Others are venting their understandable frustration, especially if they’re out of work. This is an area we can help you with – many companies are still continuing their hiring process via text, email, phone and video chat. We’ve been seeing the signs that business is starting to move again – now is the time to update your resume and let us get your qualifications in front of potential employers.
Here are the full results:
How is COVID-19 affecting your work life?
- Working from home (17%, 2,205 Votes)
- Working with social distancing (17%, 2,188 Votes)
- Furloughed (17%, 2,175 Votes)
- Working reduced hours (15%, 1,996 Votes)
- Working reduced pay (14%, 1,850 Votes)
- Laid Off (12%, 1,536 Votes)
- No change (6%, 759 Votes)
- Terminated (2%, 221 Votes)
Loading …Some comments from y’all:
- “Working from home with three kids – can’t wait to go back to the office. Be safe everyone!”
- “I work for a small business and sell to small businesses primarily. This recovery from the COVID-19 is going to seriously affect my commission. So sad. Small business owners are going to be very frugal with their money now.”
- “Working with social distancing 3-5 days a week. When not out in the field we are at home, training online. No reduction in personnel. I work for one of the largest copier companies in the world, they are here for all of us.”
- “Unpaid furlough.”
- “I was laid off in January due to cost constraints. It’s going to be longer now with the COVID-19 pandemic. No one is hiring.”
- “Since I’m working from home and call load is extremely low…I’ve been training others thru virtual Workshops. These Workshops cover numerous topics from a particular device to essentials of a successful service call.”
- “Through this crisis I was one of the few chosen to stay on board for incoming service calls. There are two of us working in place of the normal five. So far emergency service calls have been few and sometimes far between. During each call I wear a mask and use gloves to protect both myself and my clients. Before working on a machine I will also sanitize it with straight alcohol, and once again at the end of the service call.”
- “Worked or a small company, 16 people total. When all this happened they had us work from home and use up all our vacation. The Paycheck Protection Plan was laid out by our President and staff. The company felt 8 weeks was not enough to get through this pandemic and laid off 5 of the 16. I was one of the casualties. No job and no one is hiring… yet. I still have hope.”
- “20% pay cut – Might be more to come depending how long COVID affects our industry and the world.”
- “I’m lucky to have a job and benefits.”
- “Furloughs have been offered voluntarily but mandatory is also possible.”
- “Over the past weekend our regional company went from a eight tech service department to two techs with the service manager catching calls. All sales reps were offered choice of straight commission with no salary or layoff. Most of IT and admin staff was laid off as well.”
- “Thankful my employer kept me on and I have health benefits.”
- “Covid-19 is just another set back that will bring some bigger new opportunities.”
- “No real change, calls dwindles due to customer offices being closed or customers thinking we were closed. Calls picked back up after a week of doing online training.”
- “Not very motivated to prospect… I would feel like a complete a**… when people are losing jobs and lives….. very hard to prospect.”
- “We are all sitting 6 feet apart, we are a vital support business.”
- “Working from home with reduced hours and reduced pay. We’ve gone to a 4 day work week, effectively reducing payroll by 20%. We’ve also reduced the workforce by 10%…not furloughed, or laid-off, but terminated.”
- “Our hours were put down to 24. They did that to everyone. Doing it this way at least lets us keep our benefits and insurance. That way we also don’t have to turn in parts, laptops, phones, company cars, etc. Hopefully this will be temporary and we will be back to work soon. Schools being out is a big problem.”
- “They cut our hours so we’re keeping very busy when we are working.”
- “No commissions coming in.”
- “Position was changed without notice. I’m losing my technical edge because of it.”
- “Has started with reduced hours and may still end up furloughing techs. Very uncertain and unprecedented times.”
- “I hope this pandemic is over soon. The US nation needs to get back to regular business ASAP.”
- “Since much of my current position is technical support, I can do that from home, but the traveling part of my job is on hold.”
- “All other techs are furloughed, I am the only person working in service, I do dispatch, fix machines, input my own info into computer and do my own parts. Working my tail off here, but glad I still have a job.”
- “Work for an OEM as a copier technician but furloughed due to COVID-19. No enough service calls in the field.”
- “Happy to have a job. We have gotten busy the past week.”