Epic Systems has walked back their forced office return.
by G.K.Chesterton (2020-08-10 10:31:01)
Edited on 2020-08-10 10:31:22

Epic Systems told employees this past weekend that they would not be required to begin returning to its campus in Verona on Monday, backing off plans announced last week that drew national attention and spurred a backlash from some employees.

The company — one of the two largest software companies for electronic health records — had planned to bring back most of its roughly 10,000 employees in phases by Sept. 21, despite the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the state.

Only employees who had problems arranging child care or those with health conditions that would put them at risk of severe complications from COVID-19 would have had the option of working remotely until Nov. 2.

Now, all Epic employees may continue to work remotely.

Epic, like many companies, doesn't want an indefinite future of remote work. But the response to the company's plans suggests the challenges awaiting other employers as they balance employees' concerns with the loss of the interactions that are often essential to running an organization efficiently.