A large Wisconsin software company in Wisconsin had told its thousands of workers that they would have to return to the office earlier this week, over many of their objections. But now, after a report “CBS This Morning” and pressure from local public health officials, the company Epic Systems temporarily pushed back its plans.
Epic planned to bring 9,000 employees back to its campus in phases early Monday, but Dane County top official Executive Joe Parisi says that is a mistake.
“We all make sacrifices during this pandemic, and although we all want to be together and meet in person, we can not do that for a while,” he told consumer research correspondent Anna Werner. “And Epic will have to follow the same rules as everyone else.”
Following a “CBS This Morning” story about the concerns of Epic staff last week, the regional public health department said the same. On Friday, it sent Epic a letter, citing “complaints” that it had been received about the plan and noting that it had previously warned that Epic might be in conflict with the COVID-19 department’s emergency order. That assignment told employers to “limit staff … in offices” and “facilitate remote work.”
The department went on to say that Epic claimed that “it was remotely facilitated work by requiring staff to work in the office, but they were only allowed to work in their office.”
Of these, department officials wrote, “Epic’s interpretation is incorrect. Remote work does not include working in the office.”
“Working remotely means working remotely, usually from home. It does not mean you come into the office and work from an office,” Parisi said.
Asked if Epic’s argument even passed the test of common sense, Parisi said, “It’s something we have in common with Epic.”
In an email to employees over the weekend, received by CBS News, Epic said it was “adjusting our return to work policy” and employees who were told to return from Monday “are no longer required to do so. ”
But the company still stresses that it will bring its employees back, and asks public health officials to further review and approve their plan, saying: “Our intention is … to be a model for others for how safe you are. can work back. “
Epic CEO Judy Faulkner explained the company’s reason to employees in an email earlier in July, saying “we are losing, big time, the culture that made the company successful.”
But in a recording leaked to CBS News from an online meeting on July 22 with hundreds of Epic executives, Technical Services Vice President Brett Rehm explained it differently.
“We want to share the plans that are in place transparently,” he said. “Because we will not infinitely allow people to choose their own adventure for this game. That has always been true for people who say: I want to work remotely, I want to do other things. There are business considerations here. , and as managers, it’s important that you keep some of those things in mind. ”
“Everyone needs to figure this out, but I don’t think Epic is a bad evil here,” Rehm continued.
Some of the health care companies’ own customers disagree with Epic’s plan. In comments shared with CBS News of an internal Epic system, one Epic described it as “failing to fulfill its responsibilities when it comes to its own employees.”
Another said, “I hope that Epic leadership … will admit that it was wrong and vice versa.”
Some employees say they could no longer agree. “It’s not worth taking that risk if we can do our jobs well from home,” one said.
Epic goes on to say that the company believes it complies with regulations and the safety of workers is a priority. They have also hired a doctor and are consulting with experts. And they have told employees who choose to return this week that they can do so slowly on more flexible schedules.
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