State Farm said Tuesday it will offer paid administrative leave to its employees who cannot yet work from home and are caring for their children—or if they or a loved one has the coronavirus.
The Bloomington-based insurer, like many employers, had already encouraged employees to work from home to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus. But as the impacts of COVID-19 have intensified, State Farm announced it was temporarily altering its company leave policy:
- Employees who are not yet enabled to work from home and are unable to come into the office will be granted paid administrative leave if they are caring for their children when schools or places of care are cancelled. As soon as tools are made available, the expectation is that employees in this situation will make every effort to begin working from home.
- Any employee who is awaiting COVID-19 test results, or caring for themselves or household members who have tested positive for COVID-19, will also be granted paid administrative leave.
The changes are retroactive to Saturday, March 14.
State Farm is also providing “additional compensation” for employees who are still working at its facilities.
“This is a rapidly changing situation and the decisions we are making balance health concerns with our obligation to continue to serve our customers,” the company said Tuesday. “We will communicate all workplace decisions to our employees first, and provide public updates as appropriate.”
State Farm is Bloomington-Normal’s largest employer, with around 14,200 workers here.
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