HP's CEO: Help Now, Plan for the Future
Statement
I know these are difficult and uncertain times. And even as each of us is doing everything we can to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and healthy, my thoughts are with all of those who are putting themselves at risk to care for the ill and support those most vulnerable among us.
This is especially meaningful to me because my sister and my youngest brother are both medical doctors working around the clock at their hospital in Spain, away from their families and risking their health, to care for patients in the midst of this global pandemic.
We must all come together to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 around the globe while adjusting to drastic changes in the way we live and work. The wellbeing of HP’s community remains our number one priority, and we have taken swift measures from the start to keep our employees, contingent workers and our customers safe.
At the same time, we recognize this environment has created an increased need for technology. Now more than ever, our customers are depending on us to continue providing them with the exceptional products and services they expect from HP. And we are working across our supply chain and customer support teams to deliver for them.
As we work tirelessly to deliver for our customers, HP is committed to ensuring our people get the support they need. That’s why, in the first phase of the response, HP has not only deferred workforce reductions, but we have also ensured that hourly employees and hourly contingent workers who were not able to work remotely were still paid their usual wages.
We are also taking action to protect the broader HP ecosystem, including a variety of relief initiatives to help our thousands of channel partners globally weather the operational and financial challenges they face.
The role we must all play
But this is a moment that calls on us to do more than care for our own employees and partners. Each of us also has a role to play in combating this pandemic and supporting our society’s response to it.
Last month, we began mobilizing our 3D Printing team to design, validate, and produce essential parts for medical responders and hospitals. HP and its partners have now produced an estimated 1.5 million 3D printed parts for face shields, face masks, respirators, ventilators and more. We are also partnering with medical research institutions in clinical trials for 3D-printed nasal swabs that can be used in COVID-19 test kits. Once approved, we will be able to produce millions of these swabs every week to assist in large-scale coronavirus testing.
In addition to supporting healthcare workers, we are also stepping up for students and teachers. This pandemic is creating hardship for so many around the world right now, we cannot afford to let it hold back the generation that will shape our future.
That’s why we have launched a series of initiatives that will make it easier for teachers and students to connect from a distance. This includes the launch of HP Turn to Learn, a new program focused primarily on STEM and environmental learning that delivers printed materials to under-served students. Many families do not have access to technology to participate in online learning, and we are working with partners like TIME for Kids, Britannica and NASA to help bridge this digital divide. We are also partnering with other publishing leaders on Print, Play & Learn, a free online resource to support the millions of families around the world who have transitioned to remote learning.
And we are building on these efforts – whether it’s giving laptops new life through our HP Refresh program that empowers communities to collect and distribute PCs to students in need, or donating technology to underserved school districts in communities across the U.S. and around the world.
HP is not alone in these types of efforts, and I’ve been inspired by the way many other companies across industries have been stepping up. That’s what leadership is all about–rallying together around a larger purpose.
Faith for the road ahead
We are only at the beginning of what will be a long and difficult journey. As we move forward and begin to better understand the full impact of the crisis, we all must carefully balance the needs of our business with continued support for our people. Tough decisions are unavoidable, but they can always be made with care, empathy and respect for others.
This crisis, like few others in our lifetimes, requires us to be the best versions of ourselves, summon reserves of hope and strength we may have never known we possessed, and work to overcome this together.
If we do that, I am confident we will emerge stronger and more connected as a society than before. That confidence is fueled by the incredible people I work with at HP — women and men who have shared with me their thoughts, ideas, and willingness to support in any way they can. Each of them has embodied the spirit of hope and resilience.
As one employee wrote in an email to me, “I have faith we will get through this together.”
I share that faith. All of us should. Our society has been through trying times before, and I know we will overcome this challenge so long as we harness the same determination, the same ingenuity, and the same collaborative spirit that has always propelled humanity forward.