DWA president Margie Cohn follows up Universal CEO’s memo with a note announcing phased move toward employees working from home, and immediate closure of studio offices to visitors.
Following yesterday’s memo from Universal CEO Jeff Shell announcing remote working guidelines and other workforce directives in the face of the growing coronavirus pandemic, today, DreamWorks Animation president Margie Cohen has just sent the following note to all studio employees:
Dear DreamWorkers -
You recently received a memo from Jeff Shell regarding our company-wide response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. As the situation continues to evolve rapidly, I hope you’re taking recommended precautions for the health and safety of you and your family.
We know that the direction in Jeff’s note regarding work from home is not one size fits all, as it’s easier for some to work remotely than others. At DreamWorks, over the next few days, we will begin a phased roll out to reduce the number of people in our workplace. As Jeff mentioned, those who can work remotely should speak with their manager as soon as possible about a work from home schedule.
On the production front, we have been exploring and testing work from home solutions and show leadership will be sharing unique plans for each production soon. In the meantime, our studio will remain open as many of our production and post-production workflows require access to campus. As you’ve seen, we are continuing to take proactive measures to deep clean and disinfect our work areas.
Some key information to note:
Effective immediately, for the time being, there will be no visitors of any kind permitted at Flower or Central.
All employee events are being canceled or postponed for now.
If you will be working remotely, you are expected to stay in close touch with your team, continue to actively participate in ongoing work, and attend virtual meetings as needed.
Our Technology team has created a helpful remote user guide via Google Drive. For other technology related questions, please call 5-HELP.
While we do not know how long this situation will last, we will revisit our plans at the end of the month in coordination with state and local government as well as our counterparts at NBCU.
Please stay connected with your immediate manager or HR business partner about appropriate next steps. For updates, FAQs and resources about COVID-19, visit NBCUNow.
During these uncertain times, I want you to know how deeply I appreciate your commitment to our beloved studio. While this situation is rapidly evolving, we will continue to share additional information as needed.
Source: DreamWorks Animation
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
