By: Nick Gambino
In an unsurprising move, Twitter announced that they are requiring all of their 4,900 employees worldwide to work from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. What started as a recommendation from the company is now an order to all employees.
“Our top priority remains the health and safety of our Tweeps, and we also have a responsibility to support our communities, those who are vulnerable, and the healthcare providers who are on the front lines of this pandemic,” the blog post that announced the change stated. “To continue this push, we are moving beyond our earlier guidance of ‘strongly encouraging work from home’ provided on March 2 and have now informed all employees globally they must work from home.”
While it’s likely that a number of employees who work at a company that does most of its business online will be able to work from home, there are some that might not be able to perform their functions remotely. Twitter states that contractors, vendors and any hourly workers who simply can’t perform their duties from home will still be paid as if their working standard hours.
In a move that earns Twitter even more brownie points, the social media giant is stepping in to help employees who are also parents with any undue daycare costs as a result of their regular daycare closing due to the pandemic.
They could stop there, but they are still going even further with reimbursement to “Tweeps” who incur expenses in setting up their home office, including any internet fees, desks, chairs and, most importantly, ergonomic chair cushions.
The coronavirus, and more specifically COVID-19, pandemic has caused a lot of disruptions in the past few weeks including the postponement or cancellation of SXSW, Coachella, the NBA season, NHL season and other events both big and small, not to mention many schools. Trump has also severely restricted air travel to most of Europe.
The CDC has specific recommendations and guidelines to help stop the spread of COVID-19, both at home and in the workplace. You’ve probably heard this more than once but washing your hands with the proper “procedure” is key. By “proper” is meant washing your hands regularly with soap and water for 20 seconds, whether visibly dirty or not.
While some might see the constant news coverage and drastic measures taken to stem the spread of the virus as “sensational,” these are the kind of responses we need to see to make sure COVID-19 doesn’t get more out of control than it already has.
