Since the pandemic began, Exelon has been working to get reliable COVID-19 tests for our employees, but tests were scarce and mainly prioritized for healthcare workers. Fortunately, while supplies remain somewhat limited, we now have enough tests to establish a company-wide testing protocol for non-remote-enabled employees.

Today’s Dos and Don’ts start with encouragement and a watch out. Do continue your efforts to raise money to help others, but do it in a way that is responsible and adheres to applicable laws.

• Employee safety, public safety and customer service are our highest priorities
• All employees should be confident in their safe return to work

The principles, informed by science; federal, state and local guidelines; as well as feedback from the Responsible Re-entry survey, are driving the Task Force’s three-phased approach. The move to each phase primarily will be driven by business need and the ability to keep employees safe.

Phase 1: Early Re-entry

Today’s Dos and Don’ts – Chock Full of Helpful and Valuable Information

Check out today’s Dos and Don’ts for important information ranging from dealing with the media and testing during quarantine to another crisis care extension, benefits change opportunities and even goats!

Handle the Press with Care

Do you know what to do if a member of the news media reaches out to you via phone, email or social media? Don’t ever talk to reporters off the cuff. Do always contact your Corporate Communications or your operating company communications team. How the media covers Exelon and our family of companies can have significant implications for our business, impacting our reputation, our stock price and our relationships with policymakers, customers and the community. Communications has trained specialists with expertise in how and when to engage with the press. So make sure you leave dealing with the media to the professionals.

Quarantined? Get Tested.

Do be aware that COVID-19 testing now is widely available, and Exelon is planning to use diagnostic testing to help determine the need for and duration of quarantine time based on your symptoms or exposure to someone who has a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19. You may decide not to be tested. However, your eligibility to be paid during quarantine will be conditioned on getting tested and providing any documentation required by OHS. OHS will provide you with all of the necessary testing details.

Crisis Care Ends Aug. 31

Do be aware that the COVID-19 Crisis Care benefit from Bright Horizons (the option to request a $100/day reimbursement for in-home childcare that an employee identifies and uses through their own network) has been extended through Aug. 31 and will end at that time. The benefit also will remain at the 60 days per employee enhanced benefit due to the pandemic through Aug. 31. The COVID-19 Crisis Care benefit is not eligible to reimburse a spouse or other member of your household. Bright Horizons is intended as temporary back-up care only. Once your regular daycare facility/provider or regular summer place of care becomes available, you no longer are eligible for any Bright Horizons benefit. Pre-pandemic benefits will be reinstated Sept. 1.

Temporary Mid-Year Benefits Changes, Extended Deadlines

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, don’t overlook that the U.S. government recently issued guidance extending certain benefit plan deadlines and allowing plan sponsors to make changes to their health care and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) plans in 2020. This may provide you an opportunity to make changes to certain plan elections before the next open enrollment period. These temporary changes are intended to address unanticipated situations that participants may be experiencing as result of the pandemic. For more details, visit the Benefit Updates Amid COVID-19 scrolling tile on hrservices.exeloncorp.com. Please call Exelon HR Services at 1-877-7EXELON (1-877-739-3566) with any questions.

Get Your Wellness Going

Do remember to sign up with our new wellness vendor Sharecare. To set up your Exelon Sharecare account, go to hrservices.exeloncorp.com and click the Wellness Program tile or visit exelon.sharecare.com/. Once you've created your account, download the Sharecare App on your mobile device. If you've completed a biometric screening in the past, your most recent results will automatically populate the RealAge Test within 12 to 24 hours of your registration to enhance your experience. Don’t forget you are eligible to purchase a discounted Fitbit and receive an extra $40 Exelon subsidy through your Sharecare account, if you didn’t take advantage of the discount last year.

And to Brighten Your Day…Meet the Latest ComEd Goaterns!

Even in the midst of a pandemic, ComEd’s goats are hungry for more! You herd right. The goats are baaaaaack! More than 200 hungry and ambitious goats are returning to ComEd for a second summer to manage vegetation under power lines in Pekin, Ill. Check out their baaaackgrounds and their first Facebook video!

Today’s Dos and Don’ts: Let the Volunteering Begin; Teams is Coming -- Skype is Retiring; Catching Coronavirus Phish

We begin today’s Dos and Don’ts with the good news that volunteer events can start to resume. Beginning immediately, do participate when you can in company volunteer events, which will be permitted with these guidelines:

• The event can have no more than 10 volunteers.  If the state in which the event is held has issued guidelines that dictate fewer than 10 people are allowed at gatherings, that must be followed.  This total includes all people at the event, both Exelon volunteers and those not from the company.  Event managers will need to contact the nonprofit to ensure this guideline is feasible and will be followed.
• Don’t forget that masks and PPE must be worn at all times.
• Other guidelines set forth by Exelon and the state in which the event is held, including social distancing, must be followed.

Click here for more information.

The Future is Teams

We are all connecting through virtual tools more than ever before. Do be aware that Teams is replacing Skype for Business, which is being retired by Microsoft. Teams will change the way we work by giving us a centralized hub for better collaboration, communication and transparency. IT is rolling out Teams in waves by business unit over the next two months.

Do keep your ideas coming as the Innovation Expo 2020 Employee Ideas Contest continues -- the deadline has been extended until this Friday, May 22. Your colleagues have submitted more than 600 ideas -- don’t miss your chance to get yours in! To enter, visit the Reinvent site and enter your idea in your OpCo’s Innovation Expo Employee Ideas campaign.

As some states loosen COVID-19 business restrictions, you may be wondering if Exelon travel policies have changed. Exelon follows CDC guidelines (and applicable state or local orders) for business travel. Here’s an update:

As some states take initial steps to reopen their economies, we want to share with you the latest on Exelon’s plans to bring remote-enabled employees back to company locations and any impact the changing circumstances will have on employees who already report to work locations every day.

We all can agree that the new realities of the pandemic can increase your stress levels. If you’ve been feeling more uptight than usual lately, you’re not alone!

Bridget Reidy, EVP and Chief Operations Officer, Exelon BSC, shares how the Operations teams – Information Technology, Security, Supply, Transportation and Real Estate & Facilities – are working around the clock to support you and our company. From sourcing hard-to-find PPE and setting up critical remote-work capabilities to cyber security and sanitization, the Operations teams are helping to ensure you’re safe and supported no matter where you work.