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- Martha Stewart turned her home into a production studio during the pandemic, and 30 employees are working there.
- A concierge doctor administers COVID-19 tests twice a week at the farm in Bedford, New York.
- Stewart, 79, received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in January.
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When the pandemic shut down offices, Martha Stewart transformed her large New York farm into a makeshift TV production studio with more than two dozen staffers.
According to an interview with Harper’s Bazaar’s Jada Yuan published Tuesday, Stewart had been in the process of designing a new Manhattan headquarters fit for 150 employees when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
Like millions of other Americans, Stewart was forced out of the office as cases rose, and she hunkered down at her Bedford, New York, farm.
While Stewart, 79, has shared fun Instagram posts during quarantine - like her snowplowing adventures and thirst-trap selfies - she's also been operating her successful lifestyle business from home all the while.
Since March, Stewart said she's managed to keep her entire staff on payroll with no layoffs and even expanded her team.
Stewart initially only interacted with her housekeeper, driver, and gardener, Ryan McCallister, a frequent figure on her social media and shows, Harper's Bazaar reported.
Now, Stewart's team has reached 30 members on the farm.
Stewart, who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in January, has remained adamant about safety precautions.
She hired a concierge doctor to perform COVID-19 tests twice a week and enforced efforts like social distancing, face masks, and staffers eating lunch inside their cars. (When two people tested positive, they quarantined away from the farm.)
According to Stewart, the trick to creating a smooth work environment with 30 people inside a home is equality and respect. Everyone, from creative directors to housekeepers, are "on the same plane."
"There's no hierarchy in my life. I will wash the floor if I have to wash the floor. I'll take out the garbage if nobody else has taken out the garbage. The CEO should be available to everybody at all times, if possible," said Stewart.