Microsoft operations team pivots to help local communities in Coronavirus crisis

With the Coronavirus crisis impacting Seattle hard, Microsoft is taking significant steps to help out their local community. In a series of tweets sent out by John Trujillo, the director of Microsoft’s Puget Sound real estate operations, we learned a bit more about how the company has shifted some of its usual operations to do its part.

According to Trujillo, once Microsoft’s work from home orders came, he realized that the community’s needs needed to be put first. Instead of supplying the Puget Sound Microsoft campus with materials, work shifted to scouring for personal protection equipment, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes for employees, and for local hospitals in need.

In a few weeks, John’s team distributed over 240,000 medical masks, 100,000 nitrile gloves, 74,400 goggles, and 850 protective suits. Additionally, instead of putting campus food usually reserved for employees to waste, Microsoft also assembled and delivered 6,000 lunch boxes a day to families in need, for a total of 30,000 lunches per week.

Within the last couple weeks, we’ve procured & distributed 240,000 medical masks, 100,000 nitrile gloves, 3,000 sanitizing wipes, 74,400 goggles, and 850 protective suits. That’s just a start. More is coming. pic.twitter.com/52fJLe0IJy

— John Trujillo (@JohnLTrujillo) April 1, 2020

The folks behind the operation had to work with local philosophies to source, assemble and distribute the meals and also source the necessary equipment. There was also a tremendous learning curve, and Microsoft coordination with its suppliers to make this possible.