Originally reported by BusinessWire. Original announcement date: April 2020.
ServiceNow Commits to No Layoffs for 2020
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) publicly pledged to protect the jobs of its more than 11,000 global employees for the remainder of the year. The digital workflow company stated it would not only avoid layoffs but intended to continue active hiring across its global offices.
The company also extended its commitment to several hundred support staff and contractors who were not actively working while ServiceNow’s offices remained closed, pledging to protect their jobs and salaries during the closure period.
“We want our employees focused on supporting our customers, not worried about their own jobs. We are committed to no layoffs for 2020. We are continuing to hire worldwide.”
— Bill McDermott, CEO, ServiceNow
Hiring Plans and Internship Program
ServiceNow stated it expected to create and fill more than 1,000 new jobs in the United States alone by the end of 2020, with additional roles to be filled internationally. The company continued onboarding new employees throughout the pandemic period.
The company also committed to its summer internship program, pivoting to a fully digital format to accommodate approximately 360 college interns from around the world. ServiceNow employees had been working from home since mid-March 2020 and at the time of the announcement expected to continue doing so until at least June 1, 2020.
“ServiceNow saved my summer. Without their digital intern program, I would have had to scramble to find a new summer job. Knowing that ServiceNow is determined to make my internship as enriching as possible during this uncertain time reaffirms my decision to join this company.”
— Caroline Parkinson, University of Michigan (Class of 2021), ServiceNow Intern
People+Work Connect: An Employer-to-Employer Initiative
Alongside Accenture, Lincoln Financial Group, and Verizon, ServiceNow announced the launch of People+Work Connect, a collaborative online platform designed to match companies with furloughed or laid-off workforces to employers urgently seeking workers. The initiative was free for employers to join and participate in, with the explicit goal of reducing the time and complexity involved in finding new employment during the pandemic.
ServiceNow posted more than 800 of its own open roles through this initiative as part of its broader hiring commitment.
COVID-19 Emergency Response Applications
ServiceNow also took steps to directly support government agencies and enterprises managing COVID-19 response using its Now Platform. The company developed and released several no-charge community applications:
- Emergency Outreach App – Enables organizations to communicate quickly with employees during emergencies.
- Emergency Self Report App – Allows employees to self-report health status.
- Emergency Exposure Management App – Helps organizations track and manage potential exposure events.
Washington State’s Department of Health, already a ServiceNow customer, built an Emergency Response Operations app on the Now Platform to manage its own COVID-19 response. Working with ServiceNow, the department made this app available at no charge to all government entities.
Real-World Deployments on the Now Platform
ServiceNow highlighted several organizations that deployed its platform rapidly during the pandemic:
- City of Los Angeles: Implemented drive-through COVID-19 testing coordination using the Now Platform. Within 48 hours of deployment, a public portal was live for 16 million citizens to check symptoms, schedule appointments, and select testing locations.
- Calgary Catholic School District: Used the Now Platform to rapidly equip staff with information and tools for the transition from in-classroom to remote teaching, ensuring continuity of student learning.
- A US retail company (unnamed): Built and deployed a mobile application to 330,000 employees globally within 96 hours to handle the surge in emergency paid leave requests related to COVID-19.
- A large US city (unnamed): Deployed a Now Platform application to coordinate food and essential supplies distribution for 1.8 million citizens in need during the pandemic.
Charitable Contributions
ServiceNow and its employees committed $1.5 million in total cash donations to support COVID-19 relief efforts. Corporate grants totaling $1.225 million were directed to the following organizations:
- United Nations Foundation
- Centers for Disease Control Foundation
- NYC Mayor’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund
- Silicon Valley Community Foundation COVID-19 Coronavirus Response Funds
- Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
Employee matching gift campaigns were planned to raise additional funds for non-profit organizations in the communities where ServiceNow employees live and work.
Forward-Looking Context
The commitments described in this announcement were forward-looking statements made in April 2020, based on information available at that time. ServiceNow noted that actual outcomes could differ based on changes in global economic conditions and the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. These statements reflected ServiceNow’s intentions at the time of the announcement and were not guarantees of future performance.