As governments around the world roll out measures to keep their citizens sustained as coronavirus lockdown continues, some companies are doing their best to protect their workforce. From sending them home to providing them with credit facilities they need.
It was disclosed on Tuesday that Facebook is providing its 45,000 employees with six months bonuses and additional $1,000, to help them cope with the coronavirus lockdown.
The social media giant has been notably proactive from day one, working in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO), Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other health bodies to ensure that the pandemic is globally contained.
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At the same time, it has prioritized the welfare of its staff. The company is also sending thousands of its moderators home but will continue to pay them as part of efforts to help them take care of their families.
“We recognize that many people are going to need more time away to care for children and their families. We also know that many of you may have additional expenses as part of setting up your home to enable remote work and support your family. We’re going to grant all employees an additional $1,000 to use for whatever you see fit to support yourself and your family in adapting during this period,” Zuckerberg said in a memo obtained by NBC News.
Facebook was quick to prohibit false information about coronavirus on its platforms by providing direct links to responsible health bodies and removing fake stories.
“As the COVID-19 outbreak escalates, our focus has been on keeping people safe and informed by making sure everyone has accurate information, supporting global health experts and stopping misinformation. Our thoughts, like everyone’s, are with our loved ones and our communities and all of those impacted around the world,” said Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook.
Facebook has made a pledge of $100 million in support of small businesses around the world; the aim is to reduce the financial constraint that will emanate from COVID-19 in countries with little financial power.
“We’ve listened to businesses to understand how we can best help them. We’ve heard loud and clear that financial support could enable them to keep the lights on and pay people who can’t come to work,” Sandberg said “That’s why today I’m announcing that Facebook is investing $100 million to help 30,000 small businesses in over 30 countries where our employees live and work.”
As part of the assistance, Facebook is providing training for these companies through Facebook Hub to help them stay afloat.
While other companies in the United States have shown solicitude for their workforce, none has extended the care to businesses outside their own. Facebook happened to be the first American company to take steps in the direction of assisting small businesses in countries where it operates.
Google and Twitter have concentrated on eliminating fake news and false information about the pandemic across their platforms, though Google is working with health authorities to develop a testing device that will help snap up screening of suspected cases.
As the virus spreads, working remotely also surges, increasing the weight of online activities as many people depend on social media to know of happenings around the world. They also depend on the internet to perform virtually all possible works. Facebook is working to provide virtual assistance and flexible internet to help businesses to fulfill their tasks.
“We’ve made our Business Hub… readily available for all. We are also creating new virtual training to support businesses operating in this new and unsettling environment. We want to do more. Teams across our company are working every day to help businesses. We are looking at additional ways to host virtual training – and will have more to share in the coming weeks – and we’re finding more ways to help people connect and learn to use technology through Blueprint… whatever happens next, we will be working to help businesses weather this storm,” Sandberg added.
Mark Zuckerberg announced on Wednesday that Facebook is working hard to see that it provides the needed facilities for companies depending on its services as the demand surges following lockdowns and social distancing.