A "critical part" of pharmaceutical company AbbVie’s (NYSE:ABBV) success is "face-to-face" interaction, CEO Richard Gonzalez explained in an Aug. 27 email outlining its process for bringing thousands of U.S.-based employees back to work.
All of that, he said, "means returning to our workplace," according to the email. The company expects employees — even those who say they’ve been able to work from home just fine — to report to the office to foster creativity and innovation under its phased-in return-to-work plan, according to interviews with three current employees, anonymous complaints in public forums and internal company documents.
But not all employees feel the same. It’s a problem that’s starting to play out at AbbVie and other workplaces throughout America. Some AbbVie workers say they worry that the company is putting profits ahead of safety and the health of its U.S. employees and their families at risk.
At the same time, they say they feel pressure to come in. Based in Lake Bluff, Illinois, the company is one of the largest drugmakers in the world with 47,000 global employees. More than 12,000 employees work at AbbVie in the U.S. across four states, according to its website.
AbbVie closed its doors during what it’s calling phase one of the outbreak at its U.S. locations on March 17 — days after President Donald Trump declared the pandemic a national emergency.
The company brought essential lab workers, manufacturing employees and some senior leaders back on a limited basis during the second phase, which started in early June and alternated days when specific teams would be on-site. Not all who read the email have agreed to come back.
Shares eked up 46 cents to $90.11.
