March 13, 2020

Sioux Falls infographics design firm Lemonly will have all its staff start working remotely beginning Monday until further notice to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

In a blog post, CEO John Meyer said business will continue as usual, but the 15 employees who are based in downtown Sioux Falls will be fully remote. He also shared how the firm plans to accomplish it.

All in-person meetings for staff and clients will be structured as video and phone calls.

“We use Zoom and UberConference to do so, with preference for video when possible,” he said.

Staff will be expected to work from home and will not travel regionally or nationally for work projects or conferences. All employees are allowed to bring any equipment home from the office that they need for work.

“When we go back to being in the office, employees who travel for personal reasons to hot-spot areas with the virus will work remotely for a period of at least five days if they’re symptom-free and at least 14 days if symptoms do arise,” Meyer said.

“We will continue to monitor the spread of the virus in our surrounding area and will update our policy as needed.”

It’s uncharted territory, he acknowledged.

“With so much about COVID-19 yet unknown, we want to be preventative instead of reactive; taking small steps now could mean we all avoid more dramatic measures down the road,” Meyer said.

“Leaders globally, nationally and locally have a responsibility to make the best choices for their employees, partners and community, and this is our way of leading before absolutely necessary.”

Instead of waiting for an employee to show symptoms, the firm chose to act now – especially in consideration of employees who have loved ones with compromised immune systems. Two employees already work remotely full time, so the firm is used to the arrangement, he said.

“We have the privilege of working for a company that can operate ‘business as usual’ while fully remote, so we are going to do so, and we encourage others in similar situations to do the same.”