BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Governor Charlie Baker announced on Friday that any executive branch staff who are already working from home due to the pandemic will be doing so "for the foreseeable future."
And, Baker said, dozens of major Massachusetts companies have also committed to letting their employees to do the same, in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19 throughout the rest of the year.
Following the announcement, Baker's office release a "partial list" of employers who are committing to continuing "work from home policies for the foreseeable future" as a way to provide more flexibility for their employees to socially distance and avoid public transportation.
In a survey of what local companies are planning to do after the economy reopens, 54 Massachusetts-based employers said they were extending work from home policies for some 150,000 workers.
Those companies include:
AECOM, Akamai Technologies, Alkermes, Alnylam, Amgen, Analog Devices, Autodesk, Bank of America, Biogen, Bluebird bio, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Boston Scientific, Brooks Automation, Care.com, Cigna, Comcast, Dassault Systèmes, Dell Technologies, Deloitte, Eaton Vance, EY, Facebook, Foundation Medicine, Google, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Ipsen, Iron Mountain, John Hancock, The Kraft Group, Liberty Mutual, MassMutual, Millipore Sigma , MFS Investment Management, MITRE, Monster.com, National Grid, Novartis, Oasis Systems, Peoples United Bank, PTC, Putnam Investments, Rapid7, Raytheon Technologies, RSM, Sage Therapeutics, Sanofi, Sarepta Therapeutics, Siemens, State Street, Takeda, Tango Therapeutics, Tufts Health Plan, Verizon, and Wayfair.
More companies in the Commonwealth are expected to extend their remote work policies to continue through Spring or Summer, and some through the end of the year.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said working from home is a great situation for "employees in higher risk groups, those with children but no child care or school, and those who may simply be anxious about returning to the workplace.”
"Keeping even part of the workforce working from home on any given day makes social distancing easier in the workplace," said Polito. "What was a crisis response plan is now a win-win strategy that meets the needs of companies and their workers.”
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