Are you being forced to work because your state is still not under a stay at home order?

[ctipp79]

AGM in a fast food establishment here. Prior to our Governor mandating all restaurants close except for to go, delivery, and drive thru our company made the call to do drive thru only. The business side of me gets it. But employees hours have had a drastic cut. To try to counteract that as much as possible my GM and I have decreased our hours to give hours to our team members. We have sick time, not all of them do. But the human side of me wants to tell these customers to stay home. We’re handling money, credit cards and as much as we keep everything sanitary there’s only so much we can do. We have our cashiers wear gloves. Constant hand washing. Keeping our areas wiped down and clean. But all it’s going to take is that one person.

 

[Amii]

We own a plumbing company. We are considered essential. We are asking customers to practice social distancing and asking if anyone is sick before we go. We are trying to only do emergency work or work in houses that are vacant.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I’m not talking about first responders, etc.. I’m talking about people in real estate, banking, manufacturing, office jobs, etc..

Would you be staying at home if given the option right now?

Banks are essential, manufacturing is essential depending on what it is especially for food production and household essentials, office jobs depends on one's task (for instance those who work in construction functions are normally considered essential).

Most of these adjust how they operate. For instance my bank as several other banks in my area went to drive-thru only and ATMs don't do every function a teller can not to mention there are certain transactions not advisable to use an ATM for (like depositing large amounts of cash or if you're nervous about a large check, etc).

Maybe you're not considering just what some of these jobs actually allow for in your day to day lives and that of others and what stuff comes from where

Also wanted to say not it's not that states are necessarily the ones mandating this. A state may mandate it but not always. Look into how KC metro is doing it (as well as STL) neither are at the state level but rather "community" focused level (county based and city based).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

O cc’d

What business is taking cash now days? That is far too risky as cash is a perfect way to transmit the virus.

All over the place do. Right now cash is a bit harder though not prohibited with the concern of the virus; that won't last forever.

My aunt is autistic and her only source of spending money is cash. She's high function (holds down jobs, lives on her own), but she doesn't understand checks, doesn't understand cards and we don't always need to be in care of her 24/7. My uncle has financial control over her accounts with my mom and aunt authorized to get money out of her account for her so she can have cash on hand to go to the movies, to go to a shop, to go get ice cream.

I know though your stance on cash just hoping you'll understand it still is used (which I think you probably do )

 

[tvguy]

O cc’d

What business is taking cash now days? That is far too risky as cash is a perfect way to transmit the virus.

Actually, it seems the coronavirus can survive three times longer on plastic than on paper products. Credit cards may be too risky

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03...-plastic-steel-surfaces-for-days-study-finds/
https://www.economist.com/graphic-d...oronavirus-survive-on-surfaces-and-in-the-air

 

[disneychrista]

Actually, it seems the coronavirus can survive three times longer on plastic than on paper products. Credit cards may be too risky

One major difference is/can be cash handled but MULTIPLE people. I give it to A, A to B, B passes it along to C, etc. Cards are generally only handled by the person whose card it is.

 

[tvguy]

One major difference is/can be cash handled but MULTIPLE people. I give it to A, A to B, B passes it along to C, etc. Cards are generally only handled by the person whose card it is.

And the merchant accepting it. Most of the restaurants here in California have gone to drive through pickup. You order online. You get in the drive through and they give you the food and take your cash or credit card, go in and get your change or run the credit card, then bring you your change or receipt. Been having issues with fraud, so the merchants have shut off the pay online option, they have to see the card.

 

[loves to dive]

I only work two days a week but work for an IT company and our main clients are doctors and farms so we are considered essential. I'm the bookkeeper so my job would be considered essential as long as the company itself is still in business. Thankfully, it's just a 2 person business and the boss rarely comes in or even actually goes to clients, he does most of his work from home. I could work from home mostly but would still have to go in to get the mail and deposit checks. When I get the mail I open all of it at once, do I'm going to do with the checks then spray them with lysol for the bank and go wash my hands. I don't touch them again until I leave at the end of the day, which is past the time it's supposed to take the Lysol to work. After I go to the bank, I use hand sanitizer and when I get home, I spray my steering wheel and gear shift and door handles down, then go in the house and wash my hands. My hubby works from home anyway. My son is a manager in a small grocery store in a poor area of town so he is working. (he is actually medically retired Navy Corpsman RT). They do handle cash. Since he is a manger he doesn't work the cash registers but he does still deal with cashing checks and such. He keeps hand sanitizer on his counter.

 

[NotUrsula]

I build giant industrial sculptures (think like hospital waiting rooms and the like...) and I've had all my current projects cancelled. And they want their deposits back.

I also build custom mobility and prosthetic tech. I've got three jobs there ready to cash out but can't finish them because it requires face to face work and clients are compromised.

I'm feeling useless. Like the fifth tooth at a willie nelson concert.

And this (the prosthetics work, not the sculptures) is a perfect example of someone who should be in a priority category for testing. You do a needed medical service for immuno-compromised people, so you should probably be tested weekly.

 

[cobright]

And this (the prosthetics work, not the sculptures) is a perfect example of someone who should be in a priority category for testing. You do a needed medical service for immuno-compromised people, so you should probably be tested weekly.

No, not me personally. I pick up niche clients, people with very very special needs, and develop special products. I see a half dozen people a year in this capacity. For example, Hangar Clinic orders or develops a limb and my client needs to be able to detect subtle differences in temperature with it because he's a chef. So I come up with a very fast reading thermal sensor that can be cast into the silicon skin of his prosthetic and broadcast the temperatures in real-time to his apple watch.

And about half the time I get paid a lot of money for this.

I would never make a claim on 'much needed medical service' There are real 'soldiers' on the front line and I'm not them. I was honestly just twitching mostly about not getting paid and now I feel bad because I'm being petty.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So our stay at home directive starts Tuesday. Pertaining to the just the ones touched upon in the OP this is what our area considers essential


~Professional services, such as legal services, accounting services, real estate services, and insurance services

~Banks and related financial institutions

~Manufacturing companies, distributors, and supply chain companies producing and supplying essential products and services in and for residences and industries such as pharmaceutical, technology, biotechnology, healthcare, chemicals and sanitation, waste pickup and disposal, agriculture, food and beverage, transportation, energy, steel and steel products, petroleum, lubricants and fuel, mining, construction, national defense, communications, as well as products and services used by Essential Businesses. Also Human and animal food processing facilities and facility workers

~Office jobs is a vague enough term but the order addresses multiple areas for which you may be considered an office job without using such term.

I do think not everywhere is using the same criteria. I do also think that there were a decent chunk of businesses that did not have to be open but operated anyways (be it by choice or by circumstance) for which the stay at home orders effectively remove that choice but may or may not have aid for circumstance issues.

 

[luvsvacation]

I’m still working and I’m very thankful that my job is considered essential and I still have a paycheck. I am a nanny for a nurse. She still works, so I still work. I have a slight concern that this puts me at risk. I’m more concerned that my son (sophomore) will bring something home, he’s a stocker at Walmart. With high school being off they have him working 40 hours (he was averaging 34 hours even with school). My daughter (senior) works at a gas station, they have been dead, no one is coming in to buy anything. They had to shut down all soda machines and accessible food like hot dogs and donuts. Somehow my kids managed to just happen to have the few jobs that remain open. Most of their friends are out of work.

 

[MillauFr]

Actually, it seems the coronavirus can survive three times longer on plastic than on paper products. Credit cards may be too risky

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03...-plastic-steel-surfaces-for-days-study-finds/
https://www.economist.com/graphic-d...oronavirus-survive-on-surfaces-and-in-the-air

Why would the employee ever touch the credit card?

 

[Colleen27]

My husband is still working (in manufacturing) but I wouldn't call it forced. In fact, he and his boss and assistant made arrangements to continue working if/when production shuts down, because with just the two of them in the building the situation isn't a risky one for transmission and there's work he can only do when the line is closed. He'll be paid for the first 5 weeks they're off, if it comes to that - his company is offering 2 weeks of "bonus" pandemic leave and he's got three weeks and change of earned leave he could use - but we're in no hurry to start that clock ticking.

My son isn't looking forward to being off either, but he has almost no PTO and his company isn't doing anything special because of COVID19. So he's hoping they stay open as long as possible. If/when they do close, he's thinking he'll apply at the local grocery to tide him over because they're hiring a ton of people to deal with stocking and cleaning and increased delivery/curbside demand.

 

[tvguy]

Why would the employee ever touch the credit card?

When they take it from you when you drive up, then walk into the business, run it, they bring it back out to you.

 

[jsmith]

Defense jobs are still essential even in states with a stay at home order. Grateful to still have my income but nervous about being at work. My husband, both of my grown sons and I work in the defense industry-all are still going to work as of this morning.

 

[CallieMar]

My department (govt agency considered essential) moved to 100% work from home last week. Which is quite impressive since we did not have anyone working remotely a couple weeks ago - our IT department has done a fantastic job.

 

[robinb]

My governor ordered non-essential businesses to close ... one day after I quit!

 

[easyas123]

Nope - three out of four of us work at same place and our work is considered essential. And we are glad to have the jobs to go to honestly! Fourth person in our family has had a new job put on hold until they can complete the needed credential info w/ the powers that be. But he's staying busy as his Nat'l Guard unit has just gone active to put up medical units.
Our workplace certainly isn't "forcing" anyone to work though. If we had to close down, we'd work from home or come into the office to deal with stuff since no one would be here.

 

[cobright]

What business is taking cash now days? That is far too risky as cash is a perfect way to transmit the virus.

I take cash but as of last week I spray all bills and coins with Lysol. I then use hand sanitizer after the transaction.

I let my brain ponder this a week or so ago and figured if I had to accept a large cash payment I would run it through my lamination roller. That thing gets whatever's put through it up to 300F, seems like a poorman's autoclave.