IF you’re shopping at Whole Foods, the higher prices may be worth it. A study by Ipsos of 2,000 mystery shoppers found 76% of employees at Whole Foods stores were seen actively cleaning high touch areas, compared to an industry average of 59%. Associates at 100% of Whole Foods stores were wearing masks properly and 98% of customers were in compliance. Ninety-nine percent of Whole Foods stores had some sort of social distancing enforced, with every other checkout lane closed and closure of self-serve food and beverage stations.

MYSTERY shoppers also reported some shortfalls to Ipsos. Only 33% of retailers provided hand sanitizer inside the store entrance and 28% at checkout – the No. 2 driver of trust among consumers. And 60% of retailers visited were not observed to have employees cleaning high touch areas with disinfectant – the No. 3 driver of trust among consumers.

WHILE many employers provided remote options before the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey by accounting solutions provider Adecco Group found 76% of workers would like half of their week to consist of working remotely, moving forward. This stands true across generations.

A large majority of U.S. respondents (73%) feel employers should revisit the length of the working week and the hours when employees are expected to work. Similarly, 75% believe employee contracts should be based on meeting the needs of the business rather than on a set number of hours.

After months of working altered hours out of necessity – and during tax season no less – accountants now know they can successfully maintain this flexibility in a post-pandemic workplace.

IT’S clear the pandemic will have lasting labor effects. Forty-three percent of 8,000 workers around the world, surveyed by Manpower Group, agree the pandemic marks the end of the full-time work week. Being able to socialize (30%) and collaborate (29%) with colleagues in person is what workers find most beneficial about returning to the office.