Epic Systems employees can work from until the end of 2021, according to an announcement from the health tech company.
Epic Systems initially planned that its employees would return to the office this August to keep its workplace culture.
Epic Systems employees were advised to go to the office unless they had problems arranging childcare or have a health issue. These employees were told that they could work from home until Nov. 2.
However, after local public health officials expressed their concerns, Epic Systems said it would reevaluate its remote work policy. The company also received feedback from its own employees, who were scared for their health and safety.
Epic Systems, which is headquartered in Verona, Wisconsin, has about 9,000 employees. It is one of the biggest heath technology companies in the country. It sells medical record software to some of the country’s top hospitals.
Their latest announcement says that employees will be given four weeks’ notice before they are asked to return to the campus, which is based in Dane County. Those who prefer to come in are welcome to, Epic Systems said, but the company will manage the number and limit it if required.
Epic Systems shared the following statement with CNBC on Thursday:
“On August 8th, Epic paused our phased return to campus in response to a letter from Public Health Madison and Dane County. On August 12th, we updated our policy.
As of August 13th, staff can continue to work from home until at least the New Year. For those staff who wish to come in, they are welcome to return to campus. We believe that in-person collaboration is important.
We will continue to closely monitor data to guide our decisions, including Dane County public health reports, the impact of UW students’ return to campus, and the advice of public health experts. For the safety of our staff and our community, we’ll monitor the number and location of people on campus and limit the number if needed. Staff will receive at least four weeks’ notice before they are asked to return to campus next year.
This novel disease is challenging. Infectious disease experts told us that many companies, like ours, have had to adjust to changing information and developments about the virus and revise their plans multiple times. We appreciate constructive feedback from our staff. We look forward to a time when everyone can be together again in person.”
Other companies
Like Epic Systems, Google previously announced that its employees can work from home through June 2021.
“To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don’t need to be in the office,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to employees. The company had previously said Google employees may return to the office in January 2021.
The decision to allow Google employees to work from home will affect “nearly all” of the company’s 200,000 employees. These include contractors and full-time workers, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
Most technology firms have announced that most of their employees can work from home until the end of 2020 or have not yet issued a definite timeline. Amazon and Apple said their employees can return in January. Meanwhile, Twitter also allowed employees to work from home “forever” if they want to.
