Many companies are struggling as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but still remain open to meet the needs of their customers while maintaining a flow of revenue, and employees who continued working have had to change the way they conduct business.. 

   Senior and Which Which Employee Pouria Ghanbari is working twenty hours a week and has adapted to the changing requirements presented to him as a result of the pandemic. “We’ve begun to wear masks when we talk to others, and when we make sandwiches, and we make sure the workplace remains as clean as possible,” Ghanbari stated. “Work has been slow and fewer people were coming at first, but it’s slowly going back to normal as more people are beginning to go outside,” Ghanbari continued.

   With the increasing expectations to keep everything sanitary, the workload can be a challenge for employees. “Since the pandemic started, work has gotten both easier and harder,” Ghanbari explained. “Easier in the sense that there’s less stuff to do, but it’s also hard because there’s less time to do what we need to do, as all employees are given fewer hours,” he added.

   Senior Leila Garret is an employee at Albertsons, and the grocery business has implemented many regulations in the workplace in order to build a safe place to shop for customers. “Albertsons has made mask-wearing mandatory, and they have a very strict policy. If we don’t wear a mask or forget to, we get a warning first, and then we get fired,” Garret said. “The store itself doesn’t provide any masks or gloves for us to use, and we also have to follow strict social-distancing guidelines by marking the floor in six foot intervals,” she continued.

   Despite the changes in the workplace, Garrett worries that the virus could still be passed around, but is confident in the intentions of the company and what they have done to keep everything sanitary. “I worry that I’ll take the virus back home, because I live with some little kids, one of which has a history of medical issues,” Garret explained. “But I’m not that worried due to all the precautions my store is taking to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread,” Garrett concluded.

  In regards to the coronavirus’ impact on employees and their families, Ghanbari is concerned about his mother. “I’m worried about my mom because she is in her fifties, but even though she doesn’t have any underlying health conditions, she’s still more at risk,” Ghanbari stated. “I just have to trust that people won’t go into stores to order food if they feel sick,” he concluded.

   According to CNBC, many workers who are considered “essential” face many challenges working during the pandemic. For example, some workers may be allergic to materials or certain chemicals used to make gloves or masks.. Others may have trouble getting access to food if their jobs take place on the road, as most restaurants stop serving take-out orders after a certain time of the day. Also, there has been a known shortage of masks and gloves, which leaves many employees of many companies subject to infection because they don’t have proper protection (cnbc.com).