US corporate duty of care faces reappraisal

Significance

With the advent of President Joe Biden's administration, the country's experience with COVID-19 is becoming part of a new debate over whether healthcare should be a public good and about the role of the company in society.

Impacts

• Efforts to require vaccination as a condition of employment or of returning to workplaces will face legal challenges.
• The emergence of devices and apps for workers to report their emotional state to management will raise privacy concerns.
• Tech solutions, such as 'virtual commutes' for remote workers, will do little unless accompanied by effective support for employees.
• As remote working encourages employee relocation to cheaper locations, it will raise new issues around local pay inequalities.
• The Biden administration needs support from business to achieve its social justice, climate change and sustainability ambitions.