Last Updated: December 1, 2020
Since the emergence of COVID-19, we have been taking action globally to mitigate its impact on our people, our customers and our communities. Our first priority is their safety and well-being. We are grateful to be working with a global network of suppliers, customers and partners committed to keeping essential services running in their communities.
Our approach has been to keep our operations running, while prioritizing colleague health and safety. All locations continue to adhere to the latest guidelines provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and other relevant health agencies.
Supporting our Colleagues
To assist our 16,000 employees through this challenging period, we have enhanced protections to limit exposure to COVID-19 including providing additional PPE, and implementing expanded occupational safety and health protocols. Screenings and face coverings are mandatory throughout our facilities, globally. As part of our Pandemic Risk Mitigation plan, we have also:
- Instituted remote working/working from home for as many employees as possible
- Provided employees with guidance on effective infection prevention
- Supplied all necessary PPE and mandated its use
- Implemented disinfection protocols according to CDC and WHO guidelines
We have also provided supplementary financial support and expansion of paid leave to Xylem colleagues and their families affected by COVID-19, in addition to extended healthcare and medical benefits. Colleagues serving roles in “essential services” – whose positions require them to work either onsite at our facilities or in the field supporting customers while stay-at-home orders are in place for non-essential services – are receiving premium pay. We have also made supplementary mental health resources available to all employees.
Supporting our Customers
As water and utility operators – and many of our customers across industrial, commercial and agriculture – seek to ensure continuity of critical services, Xylem is working with them to help minimize supply disruption. In addition to deploying technologies to help maintain the continuity of critical infrastructure, we rolled out online education and certification modules to close critical knowledge gaps as water networks faced new stresses as a result of the pandemic.
We continue to work closely with our supply base to ensure they have appropriate business continuity actions in place. We have also launched an AI platform to monitor risk in the supply chain.
We will provide guidance to customers immediately should interruptions become likely.
Supporting our Communities
As communities around the world step up to fight the pandemic, we are committed to doing our part. Our customers and partners worldwide can nominate non-profits fighting COVID-19 in their communities to receive immediate grant funding from our corporate social responsibility program, Xylem Watermark. We have also donated water technology equipment in support of temporary hospital construction efforts, and our employees have been volunteering in a variety of ways.
In recognition of the many ways in which our colleagues are lending support to the COVID-19 community response, we have offered employees critical services leave and expanded support for employee volunteering. We have also doubled our employee charitable matching gift program for COVID-19 response activities.
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For additional water-industry-specific information, visit the following organizations:
WHO: Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Waste Management for COVID-19
AWWA: Coronavirus and Water
Water Environment Federation: The Water Professional’s Guide to COVID-19
If you have questions about your work with Xylem, as this situation progresses, please contact your local Xylem support team. Alternatively, you can email us at COVID-19@xyleminc.com.