Kaiser Permanente staffers in one California city maybe looking forward to heading outdoors for lunch have received a warning to avoid that, apparently due to local crime. KTVU reports that last month, the health care company sent out a memo advising employees in Oakland to remain inside the company's multiple office buildings during meal breaks, with the suggestion that they either bring food from home or arrange to have it delivered. The memo also asked Kaiser employees from out of the area not to set up meetings in the city's downtown area, recommending they hold such meetings online or in other locations.
The move seems to be in response to a series of recent street robberies and other incidents, giving some workers at Oakland's largest private employer pause on how they spend their lunch hour. "I'll eat and walk around, do a few laps but, after those memos, I'm a little hesitant," Kaiser employee Daniel Rabino tells CBS News. "There's a lot of break-ins in the garages over here, cars set on fire, windows broken." Others are pushing back at the warning, noting they don't want to cower inside their offices. "I'm not going to be too fearful to go out and get lunch," staffer Mario Figueroa says. Worker Elena Brewster adds, per KTVU: "I think it's overkill."
Area businesses are also peeved by the Kaiser memo, saying that lessened lunch-hour traffic will hurt their bottom line. "It is pretty slow as it is," the owner of a Mexican eatery tells KTVU, with the owner of a nearby coffee shop adding, "I don't think you want to ... give in to the bad elements that are running around. ... I think that if there are more people on the streets, there will be less incidences." CBS notes that other large companies, including Clorox and Blue Shield, have also made moves to help keep workers safe, including providing escorts to walk staffers to their vehicles and mass transit.
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In a statement to NBC Bay Area, Kaiser notes that "we continue to provide guidance to keep employees as safe as possible." Mayor Sheng Thao also released a statement, citing a decrease in property crime in 2023 and a commitment to "remain vigilant and work collaboratively to ensure this downward trend continues and that more resources are brought to the table." Oakland police say they'll boost the presence of officers locally, all while working with Kaiser to increase security overall. (More Kaiser Permanente stories.)
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