9 major companies that have shown compassionate leadership in their response to the coronavirus pandemic
Marguerite Ward
- Many American companies have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and have laid off or furloughed employees to the tune of 33 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Yet, others have been able to not only weather the storm, but innovate, donate, or aid in the response to the pandemic.
- Business Insider combed through LinkedIn's report of 20 businesses helping society during the pandemic and picked out nine major companies going truly above and beyond.
- This post is part of Business Insider's ongoing series on Better Capitalism.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit American companies hard.
In the past seven weeks alone, more than 33 million people have filed jobless claims as companies are forced to to furlough or lay off employees. But amid the grim unemployment figures, some companies have been able to step up and add value, providing free or discounted services, expanding their benefits, helping the US government in its response, or donating to those in need.
LinkedIn compiled a list of 20 US businesses making a positive impact during the coronavirus pandemic. Business Insider combed through the list and highlighted several large employers that are going above and beyond to help out during the pandemic.
Read the original article on Business InsiderIBM is joining with other organizations and companies by lending its computing power to researchers fighting the novel coronavirus.
IBM, HP, the US government, and many other organizations partnered to create the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, which uses a large amount of computing power to help researchers everywhere better understand COVID-19, its treatments, and potential cures, per a company statement.
The 30 supercomputing systems represent more than 40 petaflops of computing capacity, with each petaflop costing between $2 million and $3 million, according to IBM Research director Dario Gil, speaking to The Wall Street Journal. A petaflop is a unit of computing speed equal to one thousand million million operations per second.
Leaders from Kroger are sharing best practices and lessons on how to keep workers safe as well as guidelines for stores reopening.
In late April, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen published a blueprint for operation during the pandemic based on the company's experiences in the hopes that other similar companies can learn from them. The 17-page explainer includes steps Kroger has applied to protect employees and customers: from strategies for enforcing social distancing to modifying store hours to administering regular health checks.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts was the first to offer up its rooms to healthcare workers.
When New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asked hotels to loan their rooms to health care workers, the Four Seasons was the first to offer up its inventory, Business Insider previously reported. Within days, it had transformed into an upscale dormitory for those who lived too far from a hospital, or for those fearful of infecting vulnerable loved ones. The Plaza Hotel, The St.Regis, and The Wythe Hotel were among many others that followed the Four Seasons' lead.
AT&T joined other internet providers in opening up WiFi hotspots across the country to help people connect and kids attend online classes.
Some 19 million Americans still lack reliable internet access, according to the FCC's most recent report on the topic in 2012 . To help keep remote workers and kids able to complete online homework during the pandemic, the four largest wireless firms, including AT&T, committed to a set of measures to help Americans, including opening WiFi hotspot for people in need.
In addition, the company is providing three months of free wireless service on the FirstNet network, its first responder and public safety communications network, to doctors and nurses helping with the response to COVID-19. It has also deployed more than 57 portable cell sites to support the pandemic response.
Gilead Sciences donated its entire existing supply of remdesivir to the US government.
Gilead Science's antiviral drug, remdesivir, which has shown benefits for COVID-19 patients, was approved for emergency use in the US.
Gilead has donated its entire existing supply — enough to treat 140,000 patients — to the US federal government to use for severely ill patients, per a company statement. The company is ramping up its production, with the aim of having enough to treat a million people by the end of the year.
General Motors is mass producing ventilators and face masks.
In mid-March, GM partnered with a small Washington-based medical device company called Ventec and, in April, began production of thousands of ventilators, Business Insider previously reported. On April 8, the Trump administration ordered 30,000 ventilators under the Defense Production Act. The carmaker has said it doesn't plan to make a profit on the ventilators, according to LinkedIn.
In addition, GM ramped up production of face masks to the tune of more than 50,000 masks per day, according to a press release.
UnitedHealth Group has donated about $70 million to help fight hunger, among other causes, during the pandemic.
UnitedHealth has made nearly $70 million in philanthropic commitments since the spread of the coronavirus to the US to help fight hunger, to develop plasma treatments for the virus, and to expand COVID-19 testing in underserved communities, among other causes.
In addition, Andrew Witty left his role mid-April as president of UnitedHealth Group and CEO of UnitedHealth subsidiary Optum to spend the year helping lead the World Health Organization's COVID-19 vaccine program.
Salesforce is continuing to pay its hourly workers while offices are closed and called on companies not to make 'significant' layoffs for three months.
In late March, Salesforce cofounder and CEO Marc Benioff took to Twitter to call on companies to pledge not to make any "significant" layoffs for 90 days. In the same tweet, he announced Salesforce would continue paying hourly workers while offices were closed. In an interview with CNBC, Benioff said, "This is a moment where business has to be the greatest platform for change."
Starbucks is prioritizing employee safety by updating its absentee and pay policies.
In April, Starbucks gave employees the option to stay home with pay through May 3, even if their location was open. Additionally, anyone exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19 could choose to stay home through the end of May, with pay, according to a press release. Starbucks also introduced service pay, an additional $3/hour for employees who chose to work their shifts through May 31.
Employees can also apply for hardship grants through the company's CUP Fund, which supports employees going through difficult times, LinkedIn reports. As stores re-open across the country, CEO Kevin Johnson offered a strategy for how to do this safely; among other things, all employees are required to wear masks.
On April 6, Starbucks announced it was expanding its mental health benefits for employees who work more than 20 hours a week. Each employee and their family members will be able to access 20 sessions a year with a mental health therapist or coach through the provider Lyra Health, at no cost.
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