During times of trials and stress, true leaders tend to reveal themselves. Many technological focused companies are showing goodwill by supporting those in need.
Tech giants Microsoft doing good by helping their employees in need
According to Fox Business , Microsoft announced that it will keep paying the hourly workers who support their campus. Microsoft said they will continue to pay all vendor hourly service providers their regular pay during this period of reduced service needs. This is independent of whether their full services are needed. In Puget Sound for example, the 4,500 hourly employees who work in their facilities will continue to receive their regular wages even if their work hours are reduced.
Google meanwhile has established a fund that allows temporary staff and vendors, to take paid sick leave if they appear to be sick. Google has also offered its video conferencing service available to all G-suite customers until July 1, 2020. Hangouts Meet allows for up to 250 participants and live streaming to up to 100,000 viewers per domain. You can also record and save meetings.
Social networking companies helping those working from home
Meanwhile, Twitter is providing employees options to cover additional daycare expenses incurred due to their childcare/schools closing. All employees, including hourly workers, are also receiving reimbursement toward their home office set up expenses.
Zello is a push-to-talk voice messaging service (i.e.- a walkie-talkie app) that enables collaboration. The company has offered its premium version of Zello available at no cost to first responders anywhere in the world. Unlike your standard radio, Zello works between any jurisdiction and works on any cellular network or WiFi connection.
Another big company doing good is LinkedIn. The social networking website is opening up 16 of its learning courses for free. Courses that provide tips on how to stay productive, build relationships when you’re not face-to-face, use virtual meeting tools, and balance family and work dynamics in a healthy way. The company is also using its powerful platform to share news more broadly, help businesses use live video to replace onsite events, and deal with business continuity.
