Most companies have new policies in place to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. For small businesses, it can be easier to manage a small staff.
But what about big employers that have thousands of workers? It can be more difficult to manage.Â
East Hartford jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney, which has about 10,000 workers in Connecticut, is working on a system that will allow most of its employees to work from home by the end of the month, or beginning of April, an internal document said.
An email sent to Pratt employees Sunday, and obtained by HBJ, said the company is prioritizing work-from-home options for people caring for children and dependants, or those with health concerns, while the company figures out a system to allow more people to work remotely.
“While we would prefer to allow everyone the option to work from home, we must make a number of enhancements to our network before we can do this for those whose work scope allows,” the email said. “Our Digital Technology team is accelerating its efforts to implement these capabilities and we are targeting the end of March or early April (possibly sooner) to make the necessary changes.”
The email also said Pratt will consider allowing employees to work staggered shifts so that some can work during “non-core” hours, and that employees can use available paid leave.
For now, workers at Pratt should practice social distancing by avoiding in-person meetings, and staying physically within the department where they work, the email said. The company’s cafeteria will no longer run it’s self-serve buffet.
“We will get through this by working together, communicating regularly and by starting with safety in everything that we do,” the email said.