Twitter did not wait for confirmed COVID-19 cases to spread amongst its employees to make a crucial, likely life-saving decision.

On March 3rd, Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey placed lives over profit when he asked Twitter’s 5,000 employees around the world to work from home to help lower the probability of spread of COVID-19.

In the Bay Area (including Silicon Valley), many tech companies have open floor plans, cafeterias, workout rooms, yoga rooms, cafes, sleeping pods and more. In many ways, it’s quite similar to a cruise ship in that hundreds or thousands of people eat, work and play in close proximity. This, for obvious reasons, is less than ideal when attempting to mitigate a viral illness.

Given the likely outbreak in Northern California, other companies in the Bay Area would be wise to follow in Twitter’s steps. If you work for one of these businesses, then you may want to inquire as to what preventative plans are in place. Prevention isn’t sexy but it sure is smart. Twitter’s decision saves lives. #twitter #coronavirus #prevention #publichealth

And, if you need some data points to build a case for telecommuting, some of the latest studies on remote working show that productivity actually increases when working from home.

One of the documented downsides of working from home seems to be increased loneliness and feeling of separation from co-workers. One idea to counteract this effect is for companies to find engaging, health-promoting fun activities that can be done together remotely. For instance, attend a free Qigong sound healing class together! Sign up with your email address below to receive access to a free Qigong sound healing class.