March 13, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
This is a challenging time and it has been an especially difficult week. I would like to thank each of you for showing the leadership and dedication that makes this company great. I promised to communicate with you in a transparent manner and will continue to do so.
We are now learning that several of our employees have tested presumptive positive for the coronavirus, and we expect that there will be more in the coming days. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers. Their co-workers and those individuals who have had close prolonged contact have been notified. We are working with the health district to address these cases as quickly as we can.
In light of this news, we are recommending that all corporate employees whose teams are able to do so work from home beginning next week. Your leader will let you know if your team is one that is able to work from home. As always, if you are feeling ill, please stay home and consider using our telemedicine options. Information on the procedures will be shared with you and the policies can be found on MyMGM and LEO. If you have questions, please call the HR Hotline: (702) 693-7221 or (888) 719-7171.
As the nation grapples with the effort to contain the coronavirus, the travel industry has been challenged, and our company is no different. Business demand has decreased significantly. In response, we will temporarily close MGM Northfield Park tonight and have suspended operations of all nightclubs and day clubs. Our spas and salons will suspend operations as of Monday. Also, on Monday, approximately 150 food and beverage outlets will close, with more closing on a rolling basis. We are working diligently to minimize the impact on our employees through furloughs and layoffs which will begin next week. We will continue to pay our Flexible Time Off (FTO) eligible employees on furlough for two weeks and our hourly employees can use all available Paid Time Off (PTO) in their bank. We’ve also made the decision to maintain existing employees’ benefits, for individuals who are on our health plans and impacted by the layoffs or furloughs through June 30th. Some areas of our business operations have already begun layoffs in areas most immediately impacted by the slowdown in demand. These decisions are never made lightly, and we deeply regret the hardship it will place on these individuals and their families.
We are actively engaging with our industry colleagues, trade associations, and Federal delegation on legislation being considered by the Federal Government to provide financial relief for America’s workers and businesses.
There is much about this unique crisis that is unknown. But one thing that I do know is that MGM Resorts will weather this storm. We are resilient and we will lean on one another to get us through. In the not so distant future, I know we will be ready to welcome the hundreds of thousands of guests who come to our facilities every day to be served by the most amazing employees in the industry.
Bill Hornbuckle, President and COO