Talk of coronavirus is becoming increasingly ubiquitous; it seems that no matter where you look, people are discussing the illness and the extensive impacts it’s having. Unfortunately, most of those impacts have been negative, or at the very least, not ideal. However, we’d like to approach it a little differently in this post, as many companies have been stepping up to help their employees, customers, and communities among the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the donation of medical supplies to employee pay increases, here are some of the disclosures we’ve come across, explaining how companies from around the world are helping.
Supporting Employees
Several companies have announced special payments to employees. For example, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, US variety stores, announced they would “pay every hourly-paid store associate reporting to the store manager, and every hourly-paid distribution center associate, a $2.00 per hour premium for all hours worked during the period.”
Workday, Inc., a US enterprise software provider, said they “approved a one-time cash bonus equivalent to two-weeks pay for each employee of Workday and its subsidiaries.”
Donations
The most common way companies are helping is through donations. Whether cash contributions, medical supplies or other donations, companies are finding different ways to support their communities.
Cash contributions
Remy Cointreau, a French spirits producer, donated 1 million yuan for protective medical equipment in China and $200,000 to support bartenders in the United States, in addition to other donations.
Credicorp Ltd’s subsidiaries Banco de Credito del Peru and Mibanco, Banco de la Microempresa, Peruvian banks, “agreed to donate S/100,000,000 and S/10,000,000 […] to help safeguard Peruvian families in the situation of poverty and extreme poverty.”
Medical supplies
Tapestry, Inc., a US luxury fashion company, donated 15,000 masks to hospitals in the US, UK and Spain. The company expects to deliver additional masks in April.
JD.com, a Chinese online retailer, and its subsidiaries donated “over one million face masks, as well as a significant amount of drugs and medical supply items.” The company also cooperated along with over 30,000 doctors and “launched 24/7 free online medical consultation and psychological counselling services.”
Other donations
Penn National Gaming, a US casino operator, donated “perishable food items to area food banks and local charities” when the company closed.
Vodafone, a UK telecommunication company, is helping with children’s education by offering “free access to governments’ education resources, and any other education resources that are recommended by national educational authorities and academic institutions.”
Community Support
Henkel AG & Co KGaA, a German chemical and consumer goods company, donated 5 million units of personal and household hygiene products, including hand sanitizer, soap and protective equipment, and disinfectants. The company also plans to provide flexible payment terms for hairdressers.
McCarthy & Stone PLC, a UK developer of retirement communities, offered 300 newly completed apartments as centers for “older people as they recover from COVID-19 or NHS keyworkers.”
This is not a complete list of the actions taken by companies to help in this time of need, nor are all companies taking similar measures. However, in these unprecedented and often dark times, it is nice to see such companies taking positive proactive steps to ensure the well-being of their employees, customers, and communities.
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