The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our country in ways we could have never imagined a few months ago.
Since day one, The Home Depot has been committed to serving our community as an “essential” retailer, as homeowners and businesses depend on us for urgent needs such as hot water heaters, refrigerators, electrical and plumbing repairs, and harsh weather items like tarps, propane and batteries.
This is why the U.S. Department of Homeland Security included the home improvement industry and our related supply chains as “critical infrastructure” to the country. As such, The Home Depot’s paramount concern has been to operate in a way that protects the health and safety of our customers and associates.
With nearly 2,000 stores in all 50 states, we have been focused on ensuring store managers across the country understand and implement state and local restrictions, as well as temporary changes the company has proactively implemented nationwide. Those have included closing the stores early to allow more time for cleaning and sanitization, limiting the number of customers allowed into stores at one time, placing social distancing signage and markers on the floors, installing plexiglass shields at the registers, deploying curbside pickup options, stopping advertising and promotions that would drive non-essential traffic to our stores, and appointing social distancing captains to remind customers to abide by CDC guidelines.
With nearly 2,000 stores in all 50 states, we have been focused on ensuring store managers across the country understand and implement state and local restrictions, as well as temporary changes the company has proactively implemented nationwide.
As the crisis unfolded in March, we immediately took care of our people by implementing additional paid time off, so our older or medically vulnerable associates could stay home if needed. We also enhanced paid time off for all full-time and part-time associates, awarded weekly bonuses, paid double overtime and extended dependent care benefits to ease the uncertainty. We sent thermometers to every associate to take their temperatures before reporting to work and have provided non-medical face masks and gloves for our brave men and women working hard each day.
The safety and benefits changes outlined above allowed our “orange-blooded” culture to thrive despite the fear and uncertainty. Our stores have donated millions in protective equipment such as gloves, cleaning supplies, and other protective equipment in their local communities. We stopped the sale of N95 masks and donated millions of dollars’ worth of masks and PPE to hospitals and first responders. Our associates have done incredible things, like at store 6628 in Laguna Hills, CA, where an associate made face shields in the breakroom using products from the aisles including plexiglass, weatherstrip tape and bungee ties, then posted the blueprint online. Our team in Baltimore, MD responded to the needs of the Children’s House at Johns Hopkins Hospital when local ordinances limited them to only onsite food preparation. Store associates located a hard-to-find chest freezer and delivered it within a day.
Our associates have done incredible things, like at store 6628 in Laguna Hills, CA, where an associate made face shields in the breakroom using products from the aisles including plexiglass, weatherstrip tape and bungee ties, then posted the blueprint online.
Unfortunately, this pandemic has not precluded the early spring storm season and won’t divert the upcoming hurricane or wildfire seasons. One of the reasons Home Depot is essential is that we supply urgent supplies to prepare for and recover from natural disasters. In the midst of a surge of cases in Alabama, the Madison fire station was damaged by a tornado. We quickly connected with the Mayor and Fire Chief, and within two days of the storm, we were able to help outfit a temporary fire station with a washer and dryer and lockers. This helped ensure that Madison first responders had clean uniforms while on duty and would not have to take them home to wash following their shifts, which could put their families at risk.
As our nation begins to relax restrictions and reopen, The Home Depot is committed to ensuring customers and associates feel comfortable getting back to business and shopping as safely as possible. For the foreseeable future, we will continue to strive to flatten the curve by following CDC guidelines such as social distancing and enhanced sanitization, and above all, doing the right thing by taking care of each other.
Ann-Marie Campbell, EVP of U.S. Stores says, “With the Apron comes a sense of pride and a sense of duty to take care of each other, to take care of our customers and to take care of our communities.”
We’ve never been more proud to wear the orange Apron.
Heather Kennedy is Vice President of Government Relations for The Home Depot.