Symantec employees comfortable during scare

Symantec employees comfortable during scare

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By Laura Rillos

EUGENE, Ore. - Employees returned to work at Symantec's Springfield call center Wednesday morning after spending more than four hours in lockdown Tuesday afternoon.

While some spent the lockdown watching what happened outside, others passed the time in the company's gym and game room.

New employee Darren Helgf bonded with co-workers.

"Talking, meeting a lot of new friends, meeting a lot of cool people," he said.

According to general manager Don Oldenburg, some eomployees even celebrated.

"Our employees were very positive ," he said. "At one point there was a birthday party going on in the middle of it."

It doesn't sound like the tense situation you would imagine.

Employees had very few complaints upon their release.  They said they were so relaxed because they knew what was happening.

They watched live news reports in their conference room and got regular alerts from the company. 

"Honestly, it was fine," said employee Traci Graxiano.  "We got updates every 15 minutes, if not every ten. So it wasn't that bad, we were just waiting to find out what was going on, if we had to stay any longer."

Those alerts are part of an extensive emergency response plan that includes annual drills.

"We are a global company with facilities around the world," said Oldenburg.  "So unfortunately we're subject to a various incidents around the world, whether its tsunami, earthquake in china, other events." 

A second test has confirmed the substance sent to the call center was not anthrax. 

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