Dow Jones & Co. CEO Almar Latour and interim people advisor Meredith Lubitz sent out the following to the staff on Wednesday:
Colleagues,
Beginning Monday, September 13, we will be opening our U.S. offices for more employees who are interested in returning on a voluntary basis.
Many of you have shared that you would like to be able to use the offices more regularly, and we want to ensure that we’re providing what you need, while also continuing to keep the health and safety of you and your families top of mind.
As the situation remains fluid, we continue to take a careful and deliberate approach to our planning by monitoring public health information and guidance. The voluntary return commences a week later than originally planned in order to adjust our preparations to changing circumstances.
While we are not requiring vaccinations in order to use the office, there will be specific safety measures and precautions per location that you and your colleagues will need to follow each day. This includes weekly testing for unvaccinated staff.
Here are more details on our safety measures:
• Daily health screening – A simple and brief web-based and mobile-friendly questionnaire that must be completed before coming to the office each day.
• Weekly testing – If you are unvaccinated, a negative Covid-19 test result, received within the last seven days, is required. Self-administered tests will be available on site and can be conducted at home.
• Mask wearing – Masks are required at all times if you are unvaccinated, and encouraged for everyone else when in common areas. In some locations everyone must wear a mask at all times, regardless of vaccination status, if there are local mandates in place.
• Social distancing – The office layout has changed to allow for space between workstations, reducing the capacity for desk use and meeting rooms.
• Desk booking – You will need to book desks in advance––which can be done ahead of time and for multiple days.Of course, throughout this pandemic we have all gotten very familiar with shifting conditions, so some of these precautions may differ from office to office. Changes may also be needed as circumstances evolve. We will continue to share updates as necessary.
To fully prepare for a voluntary return to the offices, and provide more detail on the range of safety-focused protocols in place for specific locations, we have scheduled a series of briefing sessions that outline these measures and give you the opportunity to ask questions. Expect to receive an invitation to a session in the coming days. In advance of those sessions, more information can be found on the Covid and Return to the Workplace microsite.
Additionally, we continue to prepare for our official re-entry launch for all of our global locations. While we are still confirming the details, we know that it will include a compulsory, but flexible working experience. More details will be shared soon. We will provide at least a month’s notification to allow for you to plan appropriately.
Thank you for everything you have done, and continue to do. We are grateful for your commitment and stellar efforts in support of each other and our business.
Almar and Meredith
