Tech firm WSO2 pledges to pay daily workers, support staff while employees work remotely 

With two new COVID-19 cases being reported in Sri Lanka - the first local infections reported over the past two days - a growing number of employees could soon be asked to change their routines, or just stay at home, local tech firm WSO2 said on Friday. 

“While many employees, especially those in tech firms similar to WSO2, can do their jobs away from offices, large companies also have daily support staff who do everything from cooking and delivering meals to driving shuttles and cleaning offices. They cannot do their jobs remotely, and, in many instances, are employed by other businesses that are too small to continue paying them. These low-income workers, who often live from paycheck to paycheck, may not have the financial savings needed to buy food in advance or stock up in the event of an emergency,” the tech firm said in a statement.

"We have been inspired by global tech industry leaders, and we want to do the right thing for our support family. We recognize the difficulties lost hours and work can mean for them," WSO2’s CEO Sanjiva Weerawarana said. "As a result, we’ve decided that we will continue to pay all our support workers, including three-wheel drivers, office cleaning crews, security officers, meal providers, and shuttle bus drivers, their regular wages during this period of office closures." 

WSO2 said it believes that while initiatives to protect public health and containment should gather momentum, efforts should also be made to minimise the economic and societal impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The company encourages other organisations to look at similar initiatives to cushion the blow from lost wages owing to office closures and telecommuting. For example, firms could look at leveraging lower overhead and resource costs to continue paying these workers, who are often outsourced. 

While there has been no direct impact on WSO2 staff to date, in the face of growing concerns over the pandemic’s impact on employee health and safety, the company has already taken strict precautionary measures to reduce the risk of community spread. These steps include instituting a limited work-from-home policy effective from March 16, initiating a comprehensive employee communication and education plan, and observing tighter international travel restrictions. 

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