(Montreal) The Omicron wave is putting strong pressure on grocers who must continue their activities, despite a sharp increase in the absenteeism rate of their employees who are sick or who must self-isolate.
In Quebec grocery stores, the absenteeism rate would vary between 10% and 20%, estimates Pierre-Alexandre Blouin, president and CEO of the Association of Quebec Food Retailers (ADA).
“I would tell you that we touch wood every day in each of the businesses to know if we are going to lose a lot today [des employés] or not. We hope that it will be replaced because it puts a lot of pressure on the teams, ”he said.
The holiday school holidays have allowed employee-students to offer more availability to compensate for absences, but Éric Courtemanche Baril, owner of a Marché Tradition in Quebec City, fears that the situation will become more difficult in the coming weeks. “It is certain that in the following weeks, we will not have this ability to turn around so quickly and give hours to people who are not at school. ”
Due to understaffing, some grocers may be forced to close departments or reduce their hours of operation. At Mr. Baril’s establishment, about 15% of employees are absent due to COVID-19.
He remembers two times when the absenteeism rate rose to 25% in the second and third waves. “We had to shut down certain departments and reduce our opening hours. I closed at 9 p.m. [au lieu de 23 heures] for lack of employees. There are departments that I have closed from time to time, such as the fast food service. When we fall above the 20-25%, we have no choice but to close departments or reduce our opening hours. ”
Rapid tests
The ADA would like grocery store workers to have better access to drug tests, which would reduce the isolation period for employees who are not infected. Fearing a shortage, Quebec has limited access to PCR tests. The food industry must therefore fall back on rapid testing.
“We will be dependent on the availability of rapid tests,” comments Mr. Blouin. There are retailers who have already ordered some, there are those who have already used all of them, others who are waiting to have some. ”
Supply Chain
Grocers aren’t the only ones struggling with absenteeism. The entire food chain is under pressure, notes Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Laboratory of Analytical Sciences in Agri-food at Dalhousie University. “The problem with Omicron is that it hits hard and it hits extremely quickly. The industry is not allowed to adapt. ”
This is particularly the case in an Exceldor slaughterhouse near Quebec where it was decided to euthanize chickens that could not be processed due to a lack of personnel. The co-op attributed its difficulties to the increase in COVID-19 infections combined with federal delays in processing temporary foreign worker applications.
In this context, Quebec’s public health had no choice but to reduce the isolation period from 10 days to 5 days for people infected with COVID-19, believes Mr. Charlebois. This relaxation was necessary for the food supply chain. “Even if public health has been criticized, from the point of view of the industry, I do not see how we would have had a choice,” said the economist. It’s amazing what’s going on. ”
Mr. Charlebois does not anticipate grocery store closings, but he believes that consumers should expect not to find on the shelves all the products they are used to consuming. “I’m a little concerned with what’s going on with the supply chain right now. It will not be easy to keep the world and ensure that there is fluidity within the chain. ”
He invites consumers not to rush into grocery stores to stock up. “To panic, that would be the worst thing to do, warns the economist. It is better to go to the grocery store several times, if you are comfortable doing so. Otherwise, the situation may get worse if people buy their food too far in advance. ”