A letter to our colleagues from Brendan Bechtel
March 2020
I want to start by thanking all of you for everything you’re doing to help each other and our company get through this incredibly challenging time.
This is a time to remember our past. Throughout our long history, we’ve done things no one thought were possible. And a hundred-plus years later, we still tell those stories, because they say something powerful about who we are.
This is a historic challenge we’re facing now. Not just Bechtel, but everyone. So what’s the story we’ll tell years from now about rising to this moment?
The answer is, it’s up to us.
We’re writing this chapter in history together. My ask of all of us is to show once again who we are. Our leadership team is all hands on deck working with our dedicated pandemic advisory group. That group is tracking this issue minute by minute, 24/7. And our enterprise leaders and global business unit presidents are making the best decisions we can based on the best information we have available.
Our number one focus is safety.
That starts with taking care of each other, keeping each other safe by following our plans and being our brothers’ and our sisters’ keeper. Stay at home whenever possible, follow the advice we’re all hearing from health experts. The best weapon in this fight to slow the spread of COVID-19 is minimizing our physical interactions. So please, let’s all do our part.
But let’s also remember to reach out to one another. This is a stressful time. Let’s keep an eye on each other’s mental health as well. If you see someone struggling, reach out. If you’re struggling, reach out, take advantage of our employee assistance program and the resources we have.
The other key weapon in this fight is information. It’s about situational awareness. Stay plugged in. You have our commitment that we’re going to communicate as much as possible. Follow what we’re posting on our intranet and what the health experts and public officials are saying in your community.
We’re also going to show who we are by the way we work our plans. It’s what we do: We build plans and we work them. If the facts on the ground change and we need to adapt, we adapt.
The last thing I’ll mention is delivering for our customers.
We are continuing to deliver for our customers wherever and however we can safely. Throughout our history, we’ve been there for customers when they need us most. We’ve overcome enormous hurdles. I have every confidence that we’ll do that again in response to COVID-19.
We’re a company born and bred to do big things. And it’s you who make that possible.
Thank you for everything you’re doing to stay safe, to look out for each other, and to deliver for our customers as best we can while we’re in this fight.
Brendan