Thread by @dhh

Do you know of a tech company that’s asking people who could work from home to come to the office? Reply to this thread, so we can track these irresponsible organizations, and remember their names even after this is over.

If you’re afraid of naming your own company, I’ve opened my DMs for a little while FOR THIS PURPOSE ONLY. And I’ll update the thread with any claims presented in those DMs.

Apparently @spacex is asking people who could work from home to still come to the office. Hey, @elonmusk, working from home during a pandemic when you can is not “stupid”. It’s the responsible thing to do. Please protect your workers and their families 🙏❤️

This one is even worse: @AmericanAir is asking tech workers, thousands at the HQ, to come to the office because it would be “unfair” if people who can wfm do when frontline workers can’t. So let’s infect everyone as not to unfairly leave anyone out! ☠️🦠

So @orionadvisor is making half the customer support team needlessly work from the office in rotation. With one member being denied a request to wfh despite sitting next to coughing coworkers who recently returned from travel. Telling staff not to post about COVID-19 in chat.

“Our people are everything” brags @Aerotek, but they’ve taken no steps to have internal employees or contractors work from home.

Some people at @ATT have been allowed to work from home, but lots of office admin staff, even if they don’t interact with customers, have not been approved yet. You’d think a fucking TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY would have this figured out.

While @WeWork is telling clients about WFH, they’re still requiring staff to work in the buildings for “pop-ins”. WTF? No extra cleaning, just business as usual. Hey, do you think Adam is forced to come to the office, or has that billion dollar payout already bought him a bunker?

Capgemini India is “undecided” about allowing work from home. Not because it wouldn’t stop community spread, but because “it will set a bad precedent” 💀. Yeah, lord knows the worst thing that could happen in a pandemic is for some people to realize that remote works!

So while universities across the country are sending students home, @SEI_CMU and @certcc are going with “we’re flexible, talk to your manager” dead-end approach. THIS IS NOT AN INDIVIDUAL DECISION. COLLECTIVE ACTION = COLLECTIVE PROTECTION.

@WellsFargo is forcing even elderly workers (report from a 69 year-old) to come to the office because they weren’t ready with laptops that could access internal systems. The dead rate for 70+ is 8%.

The CEO of @SlingTV spoke with his family doctor who apparently said corona “wasn’t a big deal”, so now that logic is ruling the company, and all developers and other wfh-capable persons must go into the office.

“We also place emphasis on fostering an environment of collaboration and cross-pollination between our business units and teams”, says PRTH on their website. Only allowing WFH if you can prove you’re living with a high-risk individual, everyone else: NO. prth.com

The @Honda plant in Ohio is forcing even people who are already setup and allowed to work from home one day per week to come in the other four. Because everyone knows the virus only works on Fridays!

No working from home at @Paychex because “maybe the VPN can’t support all employees!” 💀

“We’re proud to have been recognized numerous times for our rapid growth, our unique workplace culture and our commitment to the community” says @BigCommerce, but there are busy offices in many affected cities with people who could work from home.

At @PlexusLegal, the CEO is excited about this period of “uncertainty and chaos”, because that’s when startups thrive! No work from home here.

Note: I am reposting these claims directly from the employees that work there, but will be THRILLED to correct any of them, should the companies involved decide that actually working from home is now good and allowed. Please do reach out!

So while all students are gone from @LifeAtPurdue, there’s staff still being made to come to the office, even if there’s nothing for them to do.

At @VSPVisionCare, employees in hot spots like New York are left to beg and plead with managers to get a WFH dispensation. But Long Island office is still hopping. Everyone is afraid to talk about a company-wide policy.

The @Scribd office is “open for whoever wants to go” which means office staff and service contractors still have to go. Leaving the responsibility for collective action on individual workers is completely fucked up and needs to end now.

Quick hits. No broad-policy work-from-home at @verint, @kingstontech, @CenturyLink, @SALTStaffing, @MorganStanley, @Darktrace (UK).

Okay, going to have shut my DMs again. I can’t even do a proper write-up on a tiny portion of all the heartbreaking stories. This really is horrible. We should not be reliant on petty, cowardly corporate bosses to have a comprehensive response where people who can WFH do!

I hope some journalists pick up the thread here and start pressing companies as to why they’re forcing people who can work from home into the office during a pandemic.

Sheesh, the most insidious stories are from the likes of @HowndInc where there’s an “optional” WFH policy, but employees are getting social pressure to “set the example” and come to the office. So cowardly.

Not just the US. In Switzerland, @UBS has also divided the IT workforce into two groups. One WFH, one in the office. They alternate. Proving that everyone could work from home, beyond a tiny group needed for physical access.

Only people who are currently sick or caring for a sick relative/child are allowed to WFH at @brandedonline. Because that’s really a policy and very generous and not at all something that should just be baseline during not a pandemic.

The kind folks at @FedEx are forcing office staff to work from the HQ because “packages still need to be delivered”, despite the fact that such staff (OBVIOUSLY!) does no deliveries. Doubles down saying: WFH will NEVER be allowed. High-risk employees just told to take sick time.

The IT team at @geico is being forced into the office. I thought Buffet was considering postponing his Omaha talk show for investors, but his companies still stuff people who can WFH into the office? That’s some billionaire real talk.

At @jpmorgan, they’re apparently taking the “wait until enough are infected per city” approach. Corporate offices for NYC and CA allowed to WFH, but not Chicago.