Corporate Responses To Coronavirus: Just Work From Home, Cancel Travel

[PeteS in CA]

https://hotair.com/archives/karen-townsend/2020/03/03/corporate-responses-coronavirus-just-work-home-cancel-travel/

Corporate Responses To Coronavirus: Just Work From Home, Cancel Travel

Lots of adjustments are being made in the corporate world in response to the coronavirus. Conferences are being canceled, travel is being restricted, and some companies are telling employees to work from home instead of coming into the office.

It all makes sense, of course, if we think about it. Why place yourself in an enclosed environment with lots of other people, particularly in areas that are reporting outbreaks of COVID-19, if you don’t have to? Why take the chance of being exposed to the coronavirus if there is an alternative? Twitter is now telling employees in Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea to work from home. As a matter of fact, Twitter is telling all of its 5,000 employees around the world that it is not mandatory but “strongly encouraged” that they work from home. Twitter has banned all non-essential business travel and events for its employees, too. ...

I'm not in a position where I'd see my company cancelling participation in trade shows, but emails have been broadcast more or less weekly. cancelling travel, advising people recently returned from ______ to work at home for a couple of weeks, and updates as the situation progresses. I don't work at Twitter, BTW.

[MeganC]

This won't happen in the USA until managers start dying.

[thackney]

This won't happen in the USA until managers start dying.

Twitter told its 5,000 employees to work from home because of the coronavirus
https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/2/21162240/twitter-coronavirus-headquarters-employees-work-from-home

As coronavirus spreads in the US, employers gear up for massive work-from-home experiment
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/coronavirus-spreads-us-employers-gear-massive-work-home/story?id=69282662

Majority of Google staff to work from home again tomorrow
https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/0303/1119844-twitter-staff-working-from-home/

[IsailedawayfromFR]

This won't happen in the USA until managers start dying.

Makes sense it will not happen with traditional industries and companies.  How can a guy who makes steel in a mill work from home anyway?

The examples in article are mostly for tech companies, which makes more sense.

And BTW, welcome to TBR.

[MeganC]

And BTW, welcome to TBR.

Thank you!! 

[thackney]

Our client required all contractors develop a work from home program and be prepared to implement it on one day notice.

[Fishrrman]

Now I'm not the smartest guy, but the thought occurred to me...

What happens when these companies find that they can have their workers "work from home" and produce results comparable to having them work "in the building"?

Wouldn't it be cheaper to keep the workers AT home, then close the now-unneeded buildings?

And then, justify paying the workers LESS, because (after all) they don't require as much as they did when they had to commute back and forth "to work"...?

[thackney]

Now I'm not the smartest guy, but the thought occurred to me...

What happens when these companies find that they can have their workers "work from home" and produce results comparable to having them work "in the building"?

Wouldn't it be cheaper to keep the workers AT home, then close the now-unneeded buildings?

And then, justify paying the workers LESS, because (after all) they don't require as much as they did when they had to commute back and forth "to work"...?

You can only pay me less until someone else is willing to pay me more.

Companies will find they normally need a stronger connection to people.  Often if stay at home works it needs a couple days in the office as well.

I've had several jobs where part of the work is done from home and part in the office.

[berdie]

You can only pay me less until someone else is willing to pay me more.

Companies will find they normally need a stronger connection to people.  Often if stay at home works it needs a couple days in the office as well.

I've had several jobs where part of the work is done from home and part in the office.

It seems to me that people are becoming more and more disconnected due to the internet, as valuable as it is. To me it seems that the jobs that have the ability to do half home/half office is a viable solution.

If that had been an option for me...I probably wouldn't have retired. Not due to the corona, but due to the commute.

[Smokin Joe]

Makes sense it will not happen with traditional industries and companies.  How can a guy who makes steel in a mill work from home anyway?

The examples in article are mostly for tech companies, which makes more sense.

And BTW, welcome to TBR.

You nailed it. SOme jobs cannot be done from elsewhere. It takes workboots on the ground.

[thackney]

This won't happen in the USA until managers start dying.

Our client told us this morning we are working from home tomorrow.  Anyone that can work from home is to be at home.  It is intended as a one day trial.  We are a field office doing engineering and design at the job site.

[Cyber Liberty]

The moment the "crisis" passes, the Managers will reassert themselves and return to "management by walking around."  I've seen this before in the company I used to work for.  There are still a lot of Managers who get their feeling of power from making sure everybody's in their cubicles. 

It damages morale when people start thinking their Managers don't trust them.  It certainly destroyed the team of Scientists I worked for.  Very few were left when I got laid off, and more left on their own after I retired.

[thackney]

The moment the "crisis" passes, the Managers will reassert themselves and return to "management by walking around."  I've seen this before in the company I used to work for.  There are still a lot of Managers who get their feeling of power from making sure everybody's in their cubicles. 

It damages morale when people start thinking their Managers don't trust them.  It certainly destroyed the team of Scientists I worked for.  Very few were left when I got laid off, and more left on their own after I retired.

I have seen the requirement to have managers walk around and actually talk to people to be very effective.  But it requires the right attitude.  When I had teams of ~50, I made it a point to talk at bit with everyone every week and at least 10 minutes chatting with everyone at least once a month.  Getting to actually know them, what problems they had, what was working, who was struggling, etc.

I had a real solid team that helped each other and I did all I could to lead by example for that goal.

[Cyber Liberty]

I have seen the requirement to have managers walk around and actually talk to people to be very effective.  But it requires the right attitude.  When I had teams of ~50, I made it a point to talk at bit with everyone every week and at least 10 minutes chatting with everyone at least once a month.  Getting to actually know them, what problems they had, what was working, who was struggling, etc.

I had a real solid team that helped each other and I did all I could to lead by example for that goal.

It depends on the attitude of the Manager, for sure.  When I saw it done, we never saw that Manager.  He never set foot in my lab even once, he just issued the edict then sat on his ass.  That's what made it so destructive, because the Manager never had to make the family sacrifices he demanded of his subordinates. 

Can you think of anything worse than a Manager like that?  "Management by walking around" is good, provided the Manager actually walks the talk. 

[thackney]

It depends on the attitude of the Manager, for sure.  When I saw it done, we never saw that Manager.  He never set foot in my lab even once, he just issued the edict then sat on his ass.  That's what made it so destructive, because the Manager never had to make the family sacrifices he demanded of his subordinates. 

Can you think of anything worse than a Manager like that?  "Management by walking around" is good, provided the Manager actually walks the talk.

At one of the two places I described above, my boss was just that way.  The only day in over 2 1/2 years that he stepped in my office, was to fire me.

[Cyber Liberty]

At one of the two places I described above, my boss was just that way.  The only day in over 2 1/2 years that he stepped in my office, was to fire me.

Now, multiply that "goodwill" by the number of your peers who got the same treatment.

I got lucky.  I'd been preparing financially for the layoff for two years, so when I got called into the bosses office, I was happy to see she had somebody from HR with her.  They offered me a Voluntary, and I was on my way to an early retirement.  Life's been good ever since.

It only sucked for everybody that remained.  Many followed me out the door, by their own choice.  I was the last "fun person" that was left in the group after two years of steady Reductions in Force.