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A CEO has advised the real estate industry of the multiple reasons businesses are not yet in the clear when it comes to COVID-19.
Mark Morrison, the CEO of Agency HQ, has highlighted that real estate agencies won’t just need to cope with COVID-19 in the immediate future – but principals will also need to be engaged with the various legal issues that vaccination policies, or lack thereof, could invoke.
He said many principals seem unaware of the lurking issue of COVID-19, vaccines, and their flow-on effects on public and employee safety.
From his perspective, professionals the industry over have done well to embrace “rules regarding social distancing, hand sanitisers, masks, virtual inspections and auctions, as well as electronic contract signing”.
However, he said the issue of vaccinations “has opened a plethora of issues that many principals may not be even aware of”.
As well as complying with federal and state laws, Mr Morrison said, “principals also need to assess the entire agency on vaccinations – who has; who has not; who will and who won’t”.
He warned: “The issue of one’s personal preferences towards vaccines presents a deep problem for any agency – imagine if one of your staff is a vocal ‘anti-vaxxer’ – how will that reflect on your agency’s reputation?”
He’s urging business owners to consider the following questions: “How do you protect such an individual from exposure to illness at work? What do you do if a work colleague refuses to attend the office because a co-worker is not vaccinated?”
Given real estate agents don’t just work in an office environment, the CEO has also reminded the industry that it is them “that orchestrates significant marketing to attract people into confined open home spaces, and it is expected to create a safe environment for the public to attend”.
He posed the question: “In a crowded open home, how do you track if a vendor or potential buyer is not vaccinated?”
According to Mr Morrison, “whilst one cannot get paranoid in business, every agency owner needs to consider their position carefully on the issue of employees and vaccinations and have a detailed policy on vaccinations, safety to customers, employees and dealing with non-vaccinated employees”.
He said it’s important that business owners avoid the risk of potential legal claims against their agency, “say, if an employee contracts the coronavirus disease in the course of employment and the employment was found to be the main contributing factor to contracting the disease”.
“With office Christmas parties about to start, imagine if multiple employees become exposed and the agency had no policy and no position,” he flagged.
And with the Christmas holiday rush expected to create crowded congregations in many destinations, he conceded that the industry should anticipate a spike in infections regardless of vaccination levels.
So, what do agencies need to be doing?
Mr Morrison has advised that principals need to start the policy process immediately: assess their agency, put business continuity plans in case multiple employees are affected, and have a detailed policy on vaccinations after seeking consultation from employees.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Ormsby
Grace is a journalist across Momentum property and investment brands. Grace joined Momentum Media in 2018, bringing with her a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) from the University of Newcastle. She’s passionate about delivering easy to digest information and content relevant to her key audiences and stakeholders.
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