This Friday, April 9, the statewide mask requirement will be lifted by Governor Kay Ivey, and the Birmingham Business Alliance polled its Investor companies on how they will handle this change. Over 300 Alliance Investors responded to the call – a 51 percent response rate – and gave an update on how their business will operate and shared their opinions, many strongly held. See below for a breakdown of the findings.
"Lifting or continuing the mask requirement is a tough decision for our state and local elected officials and we understand the gravity of those decisions," said Ron Kitchens, CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance. "As you can see from the results below, our local businesses and service providers feel the weight of those decisions, too, and have provided great input that we'll continue to share with our public and elected leaders through our public policy efforts."
Question #1: Following the lift of Alabama’s mask requirement on April 9 and if it is required by a public health order, will you continue to require your employees to wear face masks?
Noteworthy responses:
Continuation of wearing facemasks will be optional and up to the individual employee.
Yes and no. It depends on their role in the company and how closely they work with each other and our customers.
Until all of our employees have had a chance to receive a vaccine plus waiting period, all COVID precautions remain.
Question #2: Will you continue to require your customers to wear face masks?
Noteworthy responses:
Wearing of facemasks will up to the discretion of the customer.
At least until May 31. Not all of my clients are not or will chose to NOT be vaccinated, so I’m hopeful our state infection rates are much lower by then.
Question #3: Do you anticipate a negative reaction and resistance from customers if you do continue to require face masks in your place of business, in the absence of a public health order?
Noteworthy responses:
I'm not sure if the customer reaction will be negative, but that is not a factor in our decision to continue the policy.
Possibly. We have to get back to a more normal at some point. People can use their own judgement and do what’s best for them.
Question #4: Would the continuation of a public face mask order be helpful or harmful to your business?
Noteworthy responses:
Helpful – by having the force of a public mask order, it makes it easier for leadership to require masks in the workplace, particularly for customers/guests.
Harmful – Especially if the state order is lifted. We already get a good number of customers complaining and it would be very difficult if it was only in force for Birmingham and/or Birmingham.
Not sure – Lots of people have already had it or have been vaccinated. People are using their own judgment as to whether to wear them or not and that's fine with us.
Question #5: How many employees do you have?
Question #6: What industry is your company?
Hospitality/Restaurant/Retail: 64 (21%)
Finance & Insurance: 39 (13%)
Government & Education: 15 (5%)
Manufacturing: 13 (4%)
Technology: 13 (4%)
Distribution & Logistics: 10 (3%)
Life Sciences: 6 (2%)
Other: 146 (48%)
Question #7: Are any of your employees working remotely?
Question #8: If yes, when do you plan to return to your office?
Noteworthy responses:
When most have been vaccinated.
Their decision when they are comfortable; otherwise, remote working is not causing a decline in business.
Question #9: If yes, what percentage of your employees will you bring back in the first wave?
Note: The below percentages are based on companies who answered yes to question #7 (are any of your employees working remotely?) – a total of 92 companies.