• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 11, 2020

Nearly four in five ad industry professionals object to the idea of their company using a device or app that would trace their contact with other employees while at work, ostensibly to help manage workplace health related to COVID-19 infections.

That's the finding of a study of U.S. ad professionals fielded May 29-31 by workplace social network Fishbowl.

The study found that Madison Avenue ranks near the top of industries whose professionals object to company contact tracing. The tech industry ranks the highest at 81%, and the human resources industry ranks lowest at 59%.

The study is the more recent in a series Fishbowl has conducted related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on industry professionals. In another recent study, Fishbowl found that ad industry pros have the highest level of angst about potential layoffs related to the pandemic and the economic recession it triggered.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of ad pros said they fear layoffs, which compares with 54% for all U.S. professionals responding to the survey conducted March 13-16.