Qualfon call center in Fort Collins is requiring employees to work at the office in an apparent violation of Larimer County’s stay-at-home order.

Over half a dozen self-identified Qualfon employees contacted the Coloradoan to report that an estimated 150 or more employees of two departments are conducting their work at the south Fort Collins office. They said they could easily do their work from home and feel unsafe in an office that's not set up to accommodate social distancing.

Management gave the employees “safe passage letters” on March 26, the day Colorado and Larimer County stay-at-home orders took effect, that identified them as “critical infrastructure” workers.

But the employees who contacted the Coloradoan said they’re not critical infrastructure workers. They provide outsourced customer service for a satellite radio company and travel concierge services for customers of a credit card company. They don’t provide technical support or handle financial or bank information.

“They do not fall under the essential services guidelines,” Larimer County public health department spokesperson Katie O’Donnell told the Coloradoan in an email. “They should not be open. It sounds like they are trying to find loopholes, as some businesses are."

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Larimer County and Colorado issued stay-at-home orders last week ordering residents to stay home through April 17 and April 11, respectively, unless they're going to work for an essential business or carrying out essential activities. Violating the orders, which are meant to stem the spread of the coronavirus, is punishable by fines and jail time.

Businesses that do meet the essential services guidelines must follow social distancing practices, according to the state and county orders.

Management has posted notices and put markings on the floor in an effort to promote social distancing, but the office isn’t laid out in a way that allows employees to consistently remain 6 feet apart, employees said. They said shifts haven't been modified to reduce the number of people in the building at any given time.

Qualfon didn’t respond to Coloradoan requests for comment on this story. A Coloradoan reporter was denied entry to the premises on Friday afternoon, and a sign on the door said the building was closed to all but critical business personnel. There were over 50 cars in the parking lot when the Coloradoan visited the office on Thursday, Friday and Tuesday.

Employees told the Coloradoan they were informed late Friday that they’d be transitioning to remote work. But as of Tuesday, the timeline for the transition remained unclear and they were still required to come to the office. They said they’re allowed to use paid time off if they have it but employees get little PTO.

Many of the employees are older than 60 or have medical conditions that put them at elevated risk of coronavirus complications, they said.

“They’re all suffering and struggling because they don’t know what to do,” one employee said. “They come in and they risk their lives because they don’t have the option to just stay home and pretend that their bills are going to go away.”

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The employees said they’re able to do their work from home and have signed contracts pledging they have the space and internet connection needed to do so.

“We’re all having to choose between our health and our livelihood, and it doesn’t seem like it needs to be one or the other since we have the ability to work from home,” an employee said. “We need to do our part to protect the community as a whole, too.”

Both the county and state stay-at-home orders exempt essential businesses from the requirement. Those businesses include health care providers, grocery stores, banking and credit institutions, and tech support for online and telephone services. The state’s “critical infrastructure” category includes telecommunications and data centers.

Call centers should only remain open if they’re part of a critical business, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Qualfon employees said they've reported their employer to the state and county.

Larimer County has received hundreds of reports about businesses potentially violating the stay-at-home order, according to the health department. The county’s compliance team is following up on those reports and prioritizing investigations based on the level of risk the violation presents to the community.

Community members can submit business violation reports at form.jotform.com/200775782459063.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis emphasized at a Friday news conference that "no employer is exempt from this order."

"If you are critical, you are required to do the maximum social distancing you can," he said. "You have to allow telecommunicating. You have to go to multiple shifts if you can. ... You have to do that under the law of Colorado or your county health department is likely to shut you down.”

Jacy Marmaduke covers government accountability for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @jacymarmaduke. Support stories like this one by purchasing a digital subscription to the Coloradoan.​​​​​​​