Companies Across Canada Adapt Amid Coronavirus

As the number of coronavirus cases across Canada continues to grow, many companies have started implementing policies and best practices to help keep their employees safe and limit the chance of community spread. The most common action? Suspending or restricting business travel, according to an Office Pulse study of 145 white-collar workers in Canada. No one reported their company had actually closed its offices.

Has your company implemented any new business policies due to the coronavirus outbreak?

0%
Yes, suspended or restricted all business travel to impacted areas
0%
Yes, asked us to work from home for an extended period if we travel on vacation to an area impacted by the virus
0%
Yes, closed the office and told us all to work from home
0%
No, nothing

26% said implementing these policies has made them feel more comfortable about the current coronavirus situation.

Employees are also taking action to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. The most common move is using more hand sanitizer (48%) and wiping down their desk more often (32%), among other precautions.

More than one-third declared that they haven’t started doing anything new since the outbreak began.

Because of the coronavirus outbreak, I have started to …

0%
Use more hand sanitizing products
0%
Clean/wipe down my desk more often
0%
Not go out in public as much
0%
Work from home more
0%
Take more video-calls/e-meetings (compared to in person meetings)
0%
Change how I get to/from work to avoid so many people

Additionally, the COVID-19 threat is causing workers to rethink their actions when they do get sick. Last October, 48% of business professionals said they’d “suck it up and go into the office” when they feel ill. Now, just 17% of workers are willing to risk infecting their coworkers.

While there has been a heightened sense of urgency around the virus, it’s important to remain calm and get the facts. The Government of Canada and World Health Organization both provide clear information, answering questions and helping alleviate fears.

About Office Pulse

Office Pulse by Captivate offers marketers timely analysis and insights from a proprietary panel of upscale professionals in the top markets. The Office Pulse panel of more than 8,000 influential consumers and business decision makers includes C-level executives, Millennials, middle management, small business owners, working women and working moms.

About Captivate

Known for its vast network of nearly 12,000 elevator displays located in 1,600 premier office buildings across North America, Captivate connects advertisers with 13 million unique monthly viewers through creative, research-driven and Nielsen-measured advertising and marketing programs. By engaging its viewers with timely news and actionable information that helps balance the personal and professional demands of the workday, Captivate provides advertisers with a highly desirable and difficult-to-reach audience of affluent and influential business professionals. Founded in 1997, Captivate is owned by Generation Partners. For more information, please visit www.captivate.com.