GM, Ford to have white-collar employees work remotely starting Monday

DETROIT (Reuters) – U.S. automakers General Motors Co (N:) and Ford Motor Co (N:) said on Friday they will have most of their white-collar workforce working remotely as of Monday to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.

GM Chief Executive Mary Barra told employees on Friday the No. 1 automaker is asking all employees and contract workers to work remotely, noting the company has faced crises before.

“For many of us, it’s our first experience of this type. But disruption and trying circumstances are not new to us,” she said in an email.

Barra said the remote-work policy applied globally apart from China, which has existing protocols in place. “Our IT tools and systems have been extensively stress-tested; it’s vital that we leverage them to continue delivering,” she said.

Ford will shift most of its global white-collar workforce outside China, where recovery has begun, to working remotely, CEO James Hackett said in an email to employees.

“In recent days … we’ve concluded the coronavirus issue has taken on a different dimension – and we need to be proactive to keep our people safe and help limit the spread of the virus in the communities where we live and work,” he said.

Hackett told employees when they leave work on Friday to take their laptops, mobile devices and chargers and any necessary items with them.

In the event a worker tests positive for the virus they will be told to get medical attention and self quarantine at home. Ford will identify others who may have been in contact with that person and instruct them to seek medical attention and self quarantine for 14 days, he said.

Hackett said Ford will close any facility exposed to a confirmed case, and a spokeswoman confirmed that includes assembly plants and other manufacturing sites.

However, Ford has seen “limited” impact to its global operations due to the epidemic, with some employees testing positive for the virus in China and Germany but none so far in the United States, spokesman Mark Truby said on a call with reporters.

The No. 2 U.S. automaker has not lost any vehicle production outside of China and it is taking steps to keep its plants operating, he said. However, some parts of the U.S. market have seen customer traffic at dealers hurt by the outbreak, he added.

On Thursday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) (MI:) (N:) said an employee at its transmission plant in Kokomo, Indiana, had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, but he was being treated and the plant was still operating while anyone exposed to that worker was quarantined.

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