As the owner of my own company, a lot of work, research and tension has accompanied our reopening plans. While our team is extremely excited about seeing each other in person, as a business owner, it’s my responsibility to ensure we’re being safe, following appropriate CDC guidelines and making the best decisions to protect our employees. A survey conducted by Envoy found that 66 percent of employees are concerned about their health and safety as it relates to returning to an office. Further, the Rockefeller Foundation found that 44 percent of 1,339 U.S. employers surveyed said they were planning on requiring employees to get vaccinated before they could return to a physical workplace. This is unchartered territory for all of us, and vaccines introduce a new layer of potential risk.

Against this backdrop, many of the small business owners we talk to are anticipating a blockbuster summer. This new set of risks could have a significant impact on this important community, which is also returning to in-person work, often with less guidance and support than larger businesses. So, as an executive, how can you best guide small business clients on minimizing workers comp liability to allow summer 2021 to be the successful reopening of the small business economy that we are all ready for?