Ford, GM Salaried Employees Will Work Remotely For Several More Months

General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) join the growing list of companies that are continuing to keep their employees working remotely as the coronavirus continues to bear down on the auto industry. Employees at both automakers will not see the inside of an office for months.

Ford, which has about 30,000 salaried workers, has pushed back the decision to bring workers back to January for its Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters while GM, which has about 40,000 salaried workers, will reevaluate if it will bring workers back in October, The Detroit News reported.

“People who are working effectively remotely are encouraged to continue doing so,” GM spokesman David Caldwell told The Detroit News. “October is the next point in time in which we'll review this and if there are staffs that need or want to come back that would be the first time in which that would be considered.”

When GM does make the decision to return workers to its offices, it will be done in a “phased approach,” Caldwell added.

He told the Detroit Free Press: “A return to workplaces will follow a staggered approach, in which small waves of employees return based on business needs, with more added upon successful implementation of the safety protocols. This controlled and cadenced approach allows individuals to acclimate to the new site entry protocols and the safety norms for their locations.”

It was unclear when Fiat Chrysler plans to bring workers back to its offices.

August will mark six months that salaried employees have been working from home after going remote in March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. UAW workers returned to plants in May with a series of safety protocols in place after facilities were shut down in late March.

Ford spokeswoman Marisa Bradley told The Detroit News: "Really, it came down to the health and safety of the workforce, which continues to be the top priority."

Shares of GM were trading at $29.21 as of 11:56 a.m. EDT, down 48 cents or 1.62% while shares of Ford were trading at $6.80, down 14 cents or 2.06% at the same time.