The Hartford pushes back employee return to office as pandemic infections spike [Hartford Courant]

The Hartford Financial Services Group, which employs thousands at its corporate headquarters in Hartford’s Asylum Hill, said Friday that it was delaying a broad-based return of its workforce to the office, the latest major employer in the city raising concerns about the recent surge in the coronavirus.

The insurance giant had expected to start bringing employees back to the office on Jan. 18, but now says it will put that off indefinitely and reassess the situation in February.

Spokesman Matthew Sturdevant said the decision came after The Hartford had analyzed spiking COVID-19 infections and the fast-spreading omicron variant.

“Employee health and safety continues to guide our decisions as we work through this dynamic situation,” Sturdevant said, in a statement. “While there is no perfect time to activate our new work model, our intention is to do it as soon as health trends support larger numbers of employees coming together safely for meaningful interaction.”

The insurer’s new work model has two components. Employees who worked remotely before the pandemic will continue that arrangement. Those who worked in the office full-time will move to a hybrid model, splitting time between home and office.

The Hartford joins a growing list of big employers in and around Hartford who have pushed back employee return dates, a blow to shops and restaurants that count on the business from those employees.

Two weeks ago, Travelers Cos., which employs thousands downtown, told employees that it was delaying indefinitely its broad-based return to the office. The insurer also had targeted Jan. 18.

Travelers had pushed back its return to office date a couple of times times through late summer and into the fall amid infection surges from the delta and omicron variants.

CVS Health Corp., which owns Hartford-based health insurer Aetna, has made a similar decision to push back a wholesale return of office workers in a hybrid model of two or three days a week originally set for Jan. 10. CVS said it is monitoring the situation but has not set a new date.

The pandemic already is dramatically reshaping the workplace at employers such as jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney. Pratt says it plans to make working from home permanent for thousands of salaried workers at its East Hartford headquarters, with access to meeting space when needed.

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.

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