Am CEO of a 100 person subsidiary based in a downtown metropolitan financial district. Parent company is located in a red state...leadership there is a bunch fox news watchers and last night I emailed the parent company CEO (my boss) and told him I was moving all employees into work-from-home (WFH) mode. This morning I spent 10 minutes explaining to him that "this is NOT the seasonal flu and that I was adamant about giving WFH option to all employees. He said "I understand your concern, but no reason for you to be leading this." Exasperated I said "all due respect, but there is a dearth of leadership on this at the federal level. I have responsibility for 100 people, their families, and our ongoing business and I am tired of being 1-2 weeks ahead of the rest of the country." He eventually acquiesced to my passion moreso than my argument, but whatever.
Anyway, not looking for praise because I am frankly embarrassed I didn't have the fortitude to stand up for my people at this time LAST week. Still, I have all of you to thank for the hygiene regimen we started 4 weeks ago, the light social distancing we began 3 weeks ago, the international travel ban we instituted 2 weeks ago, the domestic travel ban we instituted last week, and the WFH policy we put in place today. Thank you all so much. You have given me the insight, info, and courage I needed.