Charter Communications still won’t let its employees work remotely

• March 19, 2020

As many of its rival internet service providers have at least some provision in place for remote work during the coronavirus pandemic, Charter Communications still has in place its standing policy against working from home. This is after at least one employee at Charter tested positive for COVID-19 and others are now worried about exposure, TechCrunch reports.

The company sent an emailed statement to The Verge on Thursday saying it was “reviewing our business and employee continuity plans daily, and will adjust accordingly,” but as of publication time, the company had no official word on when such adjustments would occur. According to TechCrunch, Charter management makes decisions on working from home on a case-by-case basis and usually requires a doctor’s note for approval.

The rest of Charter’s statement contains a series of regurgitated talking points: “We are working around the clock to deliver uninterrupted internet, telephone and TV news services to our 29 million customers including critical institutions like hospitals, first responders and government facilities. During this time, continuing to maintain our operations, while applying the latest CDC guidelines, ensures we provide these vital communications which help flatten the curve and protect the country.”

But according to numerous published reports, employees of Charter and its subsidiary Spectrum, which have some 15,000 office-based employees nationwide, continued to discourage employees from working from home. Gizmodo reported that employees were still working in facilities with 100 people on a floor in close proximity. The Denver Post reported a worker in Colorado emailed company leadership to question Charter’s policy against working from home and then ended up quitting as a result.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) tweeted that it was “unconscionable” that Charter was “ignoring CDC guidelines,” adding, “It’s clear that their top priority is not the health and safety of their employees and communities.”

Internet service will prove critically important during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, with workers and students moving almost entirely online to complete work and school assignments. Along with other internet service providers and cable companies, Charter has signed the Federal Communication Commission’s Keep Americans Connected pledge, which asks companies not to terminate services for customers and waive fees incurred due to the economic impact of the coronavirus, and to open public Wi-Fi hotspots to “any American who needs them.”

But most other internet service providers have taken steps to at least amend their work-from-home policies accordingly. Comcast said in an emailed statement to The Verge that it has “asked every employee that is able to work from home to do so,” adding that it has transitioned “thousands of customer service representatives across the country to work from home.”

AT&T took a similar approach, asking employees “in jobs that can be done from home” to do so until further notice. T-Mobile reduced staffing levels and said it would not require retail workers to be in stores, and Verizon said it was closing retail stores and expanding its work-from-home policy, too.

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As many of its rival internet service providers have at least some provision in place for remote work during the coronavirus pandemic, Charter Communications still has in place its standing policy against working from home. This is after at least one employee at Charter tested positive for COVID-19 and others…