Filipino workers support the government’s efforts to contain the coronavirus through vaccination. Majority of respondents of the PhilCare Wellness Index: The Philippine Roadmap to the Next Normal were positive that 70% of the population will be fully vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity within 2022.
The majority of the survey respondents were also positive about their return to their workplaces. However, they were least positive about students returning to school with the physical classroom set-up.
“Most parents are hesitant to send their children back to school because vaccination for young people just started rolling out recently. As working parents readjust to the resumption of on-site work, it could be difficult for them to look after their children with the same focus that they had when they were working from home,” explained PhilCare President and CEO Jaeger Tanco.
“Children are much more at risk if they get exposed to the coronavirus. That’s why it is understandable that parents would want their children to stay at home until the coronavirus is contained”.
Since the release of the Wellness Index, the Department of Health (DOH) has increased its target for the number of vaccinated individuals in order to achieve herd immunity, from 70% to 90%. At the current rate of vaccination, health experts predict that it may take until 2023 to reach the government’s target of vaccinating 90% of the population.
During the pandemic, parents were able to assist their children in their online classes as most of them are also working from home. Now that more employers are asking their employees to report on-site, working parents have to adjust to two new possible realities for their children: 1) continued online classes; or, 2) return to school for face-to-face classes.
Tanco said that the workplace can help their employees adjust to the demands of the new normal by maintaining the same flexibility that they had during the height of the pandemic.
The COVID-19 created a reality that many people had to adjust to. Trying to revert to a pre-pandemic mindset in terms of managing operations and employees is contrary to the principle of the new normal.
“The wellness of the employee’s family should be part of our definition of employee wellness. What happens at home affects employees and what they do at work. By extending the workplace’s care and concern to their employees’ family, employers would enjoy better productivity and brand loyalty from their employees. As schools open for face-to-face classes, parents would need to help their children adjust to the new reality. To help parents cope, employers could be flexible in terms of work arrangements in order to accommodate such transition,” added Tanco.
