Wanting to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, IBM sent a note yesterday afternoon asking all of its U.S. employees—including the hundreds of people working at its downtown Baton Rouge client innovation center—to, if possible, work from home through the end of the month.
A local IBM employee says that while some workers are expected to remain in the downtown office, the “vast majority” will work at home over the next two-and-a-half weeks. (Though Daily Report was unable to confirm IBM’s current employment count before this afternoon’s deadline, the firm last fall exceeded its state contractual obligation to hire at least 800 workers.)
Still, the company’s temporary move to largely remote operations means a significant number of businesspeople won’t be eating, shopping or drinking in the city’s Central Business District.
Specifically, IBM advised workers whose roles could be performed virtually to stay home. Executives will keep employees posted as the situation evolves, according to a company spokesperson.
“IBM has many critical roles and functions that need to continue to be performed at specific locations—examples including delivering against client commitments and needs, providing client on-site maintenance services where virtual methods would not be effective and manufacturing,” the note reads. “Your (managers) will provide additional guidance for these situations.”
The request came a few days after the tech giant urged employees in New York City and Westchester County to do the same, and a little over a week after a similar request was sent to workers in Seattle, China, Italy and South Korea.
Charles Masters, vice president of IBM client innovation centers, deferred comment to a company spokeswoman, who declined to comment beyond the scope of yesterday’s message.
The news comes as a concern to the recently opened Batch 13 Biscuit & Bowls, which shares a building with IBM and relies on the heavy morning and lunchtime foot traffic it gets from the firm’s employees.
“We’ve started seeing a slow, steady decrease in sales, and yesterday was bad for us,” says Quentin Gillory, general manager at Batch 13, noting the restaurant has taken advised precautions against the coronavirus. “Yesterday morning, we had a catering order for [IBM]—that was pretty much our business for the day.”
Downtown restaurants could also lose regular customers in visitors to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, which today announced it would cancel visits and events scheduled through April 3, and state agency employees, who have also been encouraged to work at home.
Gov. John Bel Edwards is advising agency heads to allow as many workers to work remotely as possible, says Christina Stephens, the governor’s spokesperson.
“It might not be possible for everyone. State government is not closed by any means,” Stephens says. “We also have a series of changes to deadlines to try to reduce face-to-face contact with the public.”
