The Latest Employee Benefit? COVID-19 Tests.

A lot of chambers and their member businesses offer a variety of benefits, like insurance, vacation days and a retirement plan. But some business leaders say the newest benefit is readily available COVID-19 tests.

“Think of testing as a benefit. Testing is going to be the new normal,” said Andrew Kobylinski, the CEO of Primary.Health, a partner of Project N95. “Employees really want to have a safe workplace. You want to bring testing in with COVID and use that as an excuse to make it normal in the workplace.”

As the weather turns and fall is upon us, some may question why testing still matters, especially with various vaccine options available. Kobylinski said that infections are still happening but it’s currently a slow burn, potentially creating a false sense of security among people. Testing is a tool that employees can take home and use to protect their families, especially if they have a vulnerable family member, like an older parent or a spouse with underlying health conditions.

Providing free testing options at work is also a strategic leadership decision, allowing employees to get back to work and stay there. “Testing has become more readily available. The excuses to why not to do it as far as logistics are concerned, those have come down,” said Eli Velasquez, a consultant with Project N95. “It really comes down to being a good businessperson and making a strategic decision.”

Kobylinski said the pain points of COVID testing no longer exist – a medical provider isn’t required, it doesn’t hurt and they are readily accessible. And with the emergence of different variants, even vaccinated people are using tests to ensure their health.

“Get something started so you can iterate upon it. Meet your employees where their demand is,” said Kobylinski. “It’s quite astonishing if you just put it out, how many will actually take it and do it.”

Chambers and their members can access vetted tests and personal protective equipment at ProjectN95.org.