• Google, Facebook, and Twitter are planning to keep paying hourly workers even as staffing needs decline, as first reported on Thursday by Axios and confirmed to Business Insider. Cisco followed suit on Friday.
  • The coronavirus outbreak has led many companies adopt remote work policies, raising concerns about what will happen to food service, janitorial, and other workers whose hours may be reduced.
  • Microsoft announced Thursday that it would continue paying vendors who work hourly jobs, leading other companies to follow suit.
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Google, Facebook, and Twitter said they will continue to pay hourly workers even if remote work policies and office closures in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak reduce staffing needs, Axios reported on Thursday evening. On Friday, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins tweeted that his company would follow a similar policy.

As COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, continues to spread throughout the Bay Area and Seattle, many tech companies are implementing work-from-home policies, leaving massive office buildings largely empty.

That shift aised concerns about about the fate of food service, janitorial, administrative, security and other hourly workers who will likely see their hours reduced as a result and cannot do their jobs from home.

In response, Microsoft announced Thursday that it would continue to pay hourly workers in affected regions even if conditions leave them unable to come into the office, leading other companies to follow suit.

"Facebook will pay contingent workers that cannot work due to reduced staffing requirements during voluntary work from home, when we close an office, when we choose to send an employee home, or when they are sick," a spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider.

Google has similar plans, including continuing to pay hourly workers as well as temporary employees, vendors, and contractors - which the company refers to as TVCs - independent of any reduced staffing needs surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, a spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider.

A Twitter spokesperson told Business Insider: "For contractors and hourly workers who are not able to perform their responsibilities from home, Twitter will continue to pay their labor costs to cover standard working hours while Twitter's WFH guidance and/or travel restrictions related to their assigned office are in effect."

Twitter also said it will reimburse workers for expenses related to setting up their home office and that it's working with outside vendors to make sure its contractors' remote work needs are met.

Cisco gave its support to affected service workers: "As our communities face the issues around COVID-19, @Cisco will always stand with our teams. Thank you to all of the hourly workers who support us every day and rest assured we will continue to pay you your regular wages as we work through the latest developments," Robbins, the CEO, tweeted.

In the past few weeks, as more coronavirus cases have been discovered throughout the US, many companies have encouraged or required employees to work from home.

On Wednesday, Facebook confirmed that a contractor in its Seattle office had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, while Google halted international travel after an employee in its Zurich office was confirmed to have the disease.