Grocery store cashiers, line cooks, janitors, and millions of others — about a third of the American workforce — saw their jobs become dangerous o

Bosses are acting like the pandemic never happened

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2021-05-28 17:30:05

Grocery store cashiers, line cooks, janitors, and millions of others — about a third of the American workforce — saw their jobs become dangerous overnight, as they were asked to keep coming to work in person in spite of the viral threat. Meanwhile, millions more transitioned from going to an office to working from their homes — the percentage of workers logging on remotely rose from 17 percent to 44 percent once the pandemic began. And workers in both groups had to figure out how to take care of their kids when schools and day cares across the country closed their doors.

Among employers and in the culture at large, there was at least some minimal acknowledgment that work had become harder than anyone had bargained for. Some bosses, especially in white-collar industries, became more understanding of child care responsibilities, granting employees the flexibility to do their work outside a traditional nine-to-five — even if they didn’t necessarily reduce the overall workload. Meanwhile, grocery store chains and other companies began offering hazard pay and other bonuses. It wasn’t enough for what many workers were going through, but it was something.

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