First up in today’s Dos and Don’ts message – Do focus on your wellness. These are extraordinary circumstances, and the work you are doing is critical to helping each other and our communities get through these trying times. If you’re feeling extra stressed, do check out our resources in the Exelon Coronavirus Information Center to support your mental, financial and physical wellness.
Child and Elder Care Benefits Extended
Here’s positive news for employees needing childcare or eldercare. Because of the pandemic, Bright Horizon’s COVID-19 Crisis Care benefit has been increased to 30 days per dependent, per year. While most Bright Horizon’s care centers are closed, two options are available to Exelon employees:
- In-home child or elder care (provides access to Bright Horizon’s nationwide network of experienced and credentialed in-home care providers. Providers are following COVID-19 guidelines.)
- COVID-19 Crisis Care -- which we recently added to provide additional support for employees who need back-up care due to COVID-19 -- reimburses you up to $100 per day for the care provided by someone in your own network.
Do go to the Exelon Coronavirus Information Center to find more details about the program.
Question: Which of these things can keep you safe from COVID-19: UV light, bleach or hot baths?
Answer: None of them! Don’t try rumored home remedies to prevent or cure the coronavirus – some of these supposed treatments or prevention techniques can actually hurt you. This is a real problem. We understand that this is a scary time and you want to do all you can to stay safe. But we’ve had employees actually injure themselves with home remedies.
Staying safe means knowing the facts. Good hygiene – including washing hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, and avoiding touching your face – is the best method to protect yourself and others. Do check out the World Health Organization’s Myth Busters page, John’s Hopkins’ Myths vs. Facts, and the CDC’s Stop the Spread of Rumors to get the facts.
Beware the Phish (and the Bear and the Listening Ear)
As always, but especially during this unusual time, do keep the increased possibility of coronavirus-related phishing scams top of mind and don’t click on links or attachments from unfamiliar or suspicious sources. Be sure to report any suspected phishing emails using the “Report Phishing” button in Outlook.
To help you avoid phishing scams and recognize legitimate external messages, do be aware of a helpful new tool – color-coded email banners, which are launching on Thursday, April 2.
Most external emails will now be marked with the following banner at the beginning of the message body. The banner is an alert that a message is originating outside of the Exelon network. This does not indicate that the message is malicious, rather, it cautions you to carefully review the email before clicking a link or opening any attachments.
EXTERNAL EMAIL – Do not click links or open attachments from unknown senders or unexpected Email
We know that our employees work with multiple external partners (BeeLine, Concur, Yammer, etc.) that have legitimate reasons to send regular messages to Exelon employees. These enterprise partner emails will be marked with the following banner at the beginning of the message body.
External Email – This originated from an Exelon enterprise-wide business partner. Use appropriate caution if the Email appears unusual
Although we regularly assess the security controls for our enterprise partners, we still rely on Exelon employees and contractors, so do stop, think and review anything unusual about these messages.
Don’t plug any unauthorized USB or other unknown media device into your computer. The FBI is reporting that packages are being mailed to people across the United States, including items like teddy bears or gift cards, with USB devices that deploy malware on a victim’s computer. Do report any suspicious activity to Exelon Security Operations Center (ESOC) at 1-800-550-6154.
Finally, avoid eavesdroppers and protect company information:
- Do secure your home-office area by relocating or disabling any wi-fi connected, voice-responsive smart speakers (e.g., Amazon Echo, Alexa, etc.) in close proximity to where you conduct work-related calls.
- Don’t enable the recording features on conference calls without legal direction.
- Remember that information protection guidelines (LE-AC-301 and the Acceptable Use Policy) remain in effect while working from home.
- Do ensure that friends, family and visitors do not have unauthorized access to company information.
- Do protect company documents from unauthorized access, ensuring they are securely stored and disposed of properly.
Please rest assured that Exelon is doing all we can to keep you and your families, as well as our customers and communities, healthy and well during this difficult time. We encourage you to check the Exelon Coronavirus Information Site frequently for more important information and updates.
