Pratt & Whitney to shift 80% of CT employees to hybrid schedules

PHOTO | Pratt & Whitney

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By Sean Teehan

About 80% of East Hartford jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney's Connecticut employees will work remotely for at least part of the workweek, as the manufacturer shrinks its East Hartford office space by half.

Pratt says it will still require in-person attendance for workers in its manufacturing facilities, but the move will allow a large majority of the company's 8,250 salaried employees in Connecticut to work from home or split time between in-office and at-home work.

Additionally, the company plans to consolidate its office workers into four buildings on its East Hartford headquarters campus, reducing its office footprint by 50%, Pratt spokeswoman Jenny Dervin said Wednesday morning. The company hired Atlanta-based design firm ASD | SKY to redesign collaborative space inside those buildings, and all meetings held onsite will also be hosted on remote work platforms so that off-site employees can participate.

“For our office-based employees, the transition to remote work in March 2020 was disruptive," Pratt & Whitney President Chris Calio said. "But it caused us to redesign how we get work done, allowing our employees the greatest flexibility while preserving collaboration."

Dervin said the move could widen Pratt's scope for recruiting employees, since the new policy doesn't require employees to reside within commuting distance of East Hartford.

"It does open the aperture for recruiting," Dervin said. "However there's still a strong incentive to be near headquarters so people can attend in-person meetings."

Pratt's move comes as Gov. Ned Lamont and other leaders urge companies to bring their workers back to the office, as nearby businesses like restaurants that catered to this demographic have seen downturns in business amid pandemic-related office shutdowns. The state brought most of its employees back to on-site work July 1.