LYNNFIELD — A Lynnfield company is being accused by one of its employees of failing to implement adequate safety protocols required due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Brennan of Melrose said Conduent, a business process services company headquartered in New Jersey, did not require masks or enforce social distancing requirements or post any safety information until about four weeks ago, and only recently posted any signs on doors or elsewhere regarding masks and social distancing. He said the company refused to provide thermometers and also failed to use adequate sanitization measures.
“The virus came out more than five months ago, they should have forced people to wear masks at the very least when the state did, but they didn’t do anything,” he said. “When employees were out for quarantine, they made us use vacation and sick time. That wasn’t right.”
Conduent Senior Director of External Communications, Sean Collins, said in a statement that the company “is, and has been, in compliance with the guidelines and directives issued by the state of Massachusetts,” and that Conduent “has implemented measures required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.”
As of the end of July, there were no employee complaints about the company on the state’s workplace complaint list.
Brennan was hired by Coduent about six months ago as a supervisor in the meter and shipping department. He said he quickly discovered the presence of unsanitary conditions.
“The kitchen is disgusting, it looks like an empty apartment with squatters there who don’t care,” said Brennan. “The place is so dirty everywhere. This is a billion dollar company and they won’t spend any money.”
Brennan said he was told during an interview that someone in his department had the virus.
“Lo and behold, I found out there were four people rumored to have the virus, not one, and they never closed down a day or even part of a day,” said Brennan. “That was utterly wrong.”
Conduent denies Brennan’s claims, saying in the statement that cleaning occurs on a daily basis, with products like Diversey Virex II 256, Virex Plus and Oxivir, and that the company “brought in additional cleaning services and (is) disinfecting and cleaning several times a day.”
Collins said Conduent provides masks to employees, which are mandatory indoors, and that the company is communicating regularly with employees and has provided training on how to protect themselves from the virus. Conduent has told employees “to follow guidelines for social distancing.” Portable hand wash stations have been installed and hand washing best practices signs have been posted in bathrooms and pantry areas.
“They announced they were going to clean every week and they didn’t,” Brennan said. “They said they cleaned down the machines. That’s a lie. What signs they originally did post were so far inside the building. They say they have bottles of disinfectant, but you can’t smell any odor, they must be filled with just water or watered-down Windex. The hand sanitizer stations are empty. They were doing nothing to keep people safe.”
Brennan said he complained that the company refused to purchase thermometers to monitor employees entering the building. He said the company asked employees to fill out forms containing questions about whether or not they had symptoms or had been in contact with people with the virus.
“They said temperature guns cost too much, then my bosses said my guys had to fill out forms that we wouldn’t come to work if we had a temperature over 100.4,” said Brennan. “Of course they’re not going to say they have symptoms or a fever. I told my bosses they need their jobs and will say anything to not have to be quarantined.”
Brennan believes employees are afraid to speak up for fear of losing their jobs.
“They don’t get paid much,” he said. “There’s one guy with the virus who’s been here 20 years and he makes only $13 an hour,” adding that when employees do complain, “they are told to find another job.”
Collins said, “we have not and would not terminate someone for testing positive for COVID-19.”
Brennan has been looking for other jobs and wouldn’t mind going on unemployment.
“I don’t want to not work, but don’t want my health to be at risk, either,” he said. “I’m not disgruntled, I just want them to close down to clean for two weeks and to treat its employees like humans.”
Brennan said the company distributed a document this week entitled “Conduent’s Return to Readiness Program” detailing Conduent’s prevention and safety measures.
“They asked us to say they are doing all they can for the virus, but I refused,” he said.
Anne Marie Tobin can be reached at [email protected].
