U.S. companies geared up for Election Day with a flurry of memos and emails urging employees to avoid work travel and be on guard against civil unrest and potential disruptions.
Top executives at consulting firms, airlines, health care companies and others have sent notes to employees in recent days, some with strikingly different messages than in previous elections. Some employers, like Seattle construction and engineering company McKinstry Co. LLC, banned work travel and urged employees to stay home this week, while others shared corporate-security hotlines for employees to call if they feel unsafe. The efforts reflect anxiety across the corporate sphere, where many executives worry how their operations might be affected should widespread protests or election-related violence occur.
Delta Air Lines Inc. Chief Executive Ed Bastian wrote in a message to employees, “I ask you to be vigilant and careful in the coming days. Please keep your eyes open and keep you and your loved ones safe.”
In a Monday email to employees obtained by The Wall Street Journal, S&P Global Inc.’s chief security officer noted that the election outcome could be unknown for some time, and warned of a possible increase in protest activity or violence. The email pointed out concerns expressed by law enforcement that private, self-styled militia groups could disrupt polling places, and encouraged employees to remain vigilant when moving to and from such locations. The note asked staffers to avoid traveling to Washington, D.C., if possible.
These recommendations come as some companies are boarding up storefronts to prepare for possible demonstrations or violent unrest. United Airlines Holdings Inc. has moved its operations center from its downtown Chicago headquarters to a backup location, in anticipation of potential protest activity preventing employees from traveling into the city, the airline said. United is also relocating some flight crews in cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, and Portland, Ore., to airport hotels to ensure they can get to their flights without delays or disruptions. The union that represents United’s flight attendants had cited concerns about members’ safety.
