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"post_content": "One of the partners at my office emailed and said the firm is recommending/encouraging us to wear masks in common areas but it is not required. More people have started wearing masks around the office after this but the partner that sent the email hasn’t been. How am I supposed to know if we actually should we wearing masks or not when it’s not required?",
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What is the state or local requirement? If there is none, then wear one if it makes you comfortable. The wording "recommended" and "encouraged" was used here a lot in NYC when the indoor mask mandate was stopped for a while. It was basically the nice way to say "we'd prefer if you wore one, but we can't stop you if you don't".
The partner was told to email you all, but doesn’t agree with the decision.
Partner’s behavior is questionable, but net net you can do what you want, recognizing that not wearing a mask will irk those in your office who don’t want your germs.
Pro
If the masked aren’t wearing N/KN95’s (which very few actually do), as much as they’d like to convince themselves otherwise, they are still spreading a lot of germs. Omicron is making a mockery of the inferior masks. Let them be irked, very few of them are standing on the high ground.
Dunno bout you, but I’m tired of ambiguity. It’s either all masks or or no masks.
Yeah, after our experience over the past two years it’s no wonder standards are all over the place. I don’t think face coverings are going away permanently anytime soon though.
I have them, the slightly more comfortable N95 ones, and I just keep them in jacket pocket just in case. If it’s close quarters and the middle of winter, it’s likely I’ll need it. If it’s outdoors or middle of summer, prob not.
I hold work to the highest standard. They need to take a stand one way or another. Give me a concrete policy to work with so I can take that, factor in how common illness is in my city at the moment, and assess personal risk before I go in. Clear expectations. No surprises. No wishy-washy nonsense.
If the group consensus is “yes masks please” and that’s makes everyone more comfortable, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask the partner to wear theirs or update the policy.
At some point we each make a decision on the level of risk we are willing to accept and we have to go for it, for the purpose of survival (e.g. feeding ourselves, making housing payments, overall mental health, etc.)
I know you call this selfish but it isn’t. We are 2 years into 2 weeks to stop the spread.
We are making choices to move on because we have to. We are making choices to travel because our policy makers make stifling policies and then proceed to break all the rules themselves and go have a sunny vacation. We are moving on because when your friend tests positive in 2022, they live.
Rising Star
If it’s not required, don’t feel obligated to wear one. If you want to wear a mask, that’s your choice
Why don't you just wear the mask to be on the safe side? That takes the ambiguity out of it, and is the healthier option.
Enthusiast
Do whatever makes you feel safe.
Reccomended or encouraged doesn’t mean required. Its as simple as that. Don’t wear one unless they say you have to.
When someone with power over my employment and future “recommends” something, I would need a pretty good reason not to do it
Ask HR what the policy really means