Tech Giants: Back to the Office Workplace or Still Working at Home?
Even before the pandemic started, some big tech companies were experimenting with work-from-home options. Now that many of these big tech companies have been working mostly under remote conditions for nearly two years, will they continue this structure or look to get workers back in the office?
It's easier for tech companies to work remotely or with a hybrid policy compared to other industries, since most work can be done this way. Often times these technology businesses are the innovators creating the software making remote work possible!
Let’s find out which tech giants are requiring employees to return to office, work from home, or allow a hybrid schedule!
What Tech Companies Are Opting For The ‘3–2’ Plan?
Some top tech companies have decided they want their employees back in the office for at least 3 days a week. Employees are then free to work from home 2 days per week. These plans are not popular, but these tech companies believe it is necessary to maximize productivity.
Apple
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has decided that all Apple employees will be expected to work in the office for at least 3 days per week. Some employees weren’t too happy about this decision, but Apple kept the peace by allowing employees to work from home for several weeks throughout the year without affecting their holiday leave.
Google
Google has taken a strong stance against COVID and was one of the first tech giants to force its employees to get vaccinated and even extended its remote work plan when the Delta variant started emerging. Google, like Apple, has opted for the 3 days in the office, 2 days at-home model. It has also allowed senior employees to work fully remotely. However, this must be approved by senior management. Google has stated around 1/5th of employees will be working fully remotely. This two-tiered approach has angered many Google employees who believe everyone should have the right to remote work. As of now, Google has not budged on its policy. Whether or not Google commits to its 3-2 strategy for the long haul remains to be seen.
These Tech Companies Are Going 50/50
If you enjoy office life but also like working from home, then these tech companies may be perfect for you! These companies have all stated that employees will only work a maximum of 50% of the year in the office.
Microsoft
Microsoft sent its workers back to the office in early September 2021. Currently, Microsoft’s offices are running at reduced capacity as they continue to monitor the pandemic. The tech giant came out and said that once the office is fully back and running. Microsoft expects its employees to spend 50% of their time in the office and 50% working from home in 2022 so far.
DoorDash
DoorDash’s offices are going to remain closed until early 2022. The delivery company is keeping a close eye on the pandemic and is concerned about opening up too early as they don’t want to constantly open and close their office. DoorDash has 17 corporate offices, and they are going to slowly open them in January and give employees the option of working there. When things are fully open, DoorDash says it wants its employees to split their time between the office and home. However, they are willing to negotiate with employees who prefer 100% remote roles and WFH.
Adobe
Adobe is another tech company that wants to achieve the best of both worlds by mixing work from home and office work roles. Adobe says it is important to have in-person collaboration, especially for company culture, and to drive innovation. The company will design a specific mix of at-home days and in-office days for hybrid working. They will also hold frequent in-person events at their office to ensure their employees don’t miss out on vital social gatherings.
Some Tech Companies Are Going Fully Remote
If you have got used to the work-from-home lifestyle, check out these tech companies who have fully embraced remote working conditions, pandemic or not!
Twitter
Twitter has fully opened its impressive San Francisco headquarters but the company has opted against forcing its employees to work in the office. Twitter has decided to let any full-time employee work from home. Twitter is also giving employees the option to split their time between home and the office. However, Twitter will reduce the salaries of workers who move to cheaper cities.
Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg is a big fan of remote work. Initially, Facebook only offered full- time remote work to senior employees, but now all full-time Facebook employees are eligible. Zuckerberg said he is convinced that remote work is effective and can be done at scale. Facebook plans to open its offices to those who still enjoy the office environment. However, Facebook did say that for anyone who moves to another city or town, their salary may be reduced to match the local living costs.
These Tech Companies Will Let You Live Anywhere!
If you want to live anywhere in the world, work in your pajamas, and still get paid a big tech salary, then you will have to work at one of these generous companies in 2022!
GoPro
GoPro has shown its progressive nature and has decided to let employees live and work wherever they please. GoPro CEO Nicholas Woodman has stated that he supports his employees living and working where they feel most comfortable and appreciated. With a CEO like that, expect GoPro to get a lot of job applications.
Reddit
Reddit has decided to go for an incredibly relaxed and democratic approach. The online forum will allow all employees to work fully remotely if they please. Reddit has said that employees can reside wherever they want and that they will not deduct employee salaries even if they relocate to low-cost cities and towns, unlike other tech firms that will re-calculate salaries based on the local cost of living. Reddit is hoping to attract fresh talent by offering the most flexible working conditions.
Some Tech Companies Are Unsure!
As the pandemic is constantly changing and the data on high effective fully remote roles is still out, these top tech companies are being deliberately slow to make up their mind on a WFH policy.
Airbnb
Airbnb has come and said that workers will not have to return until late 2022. CEO Brian Chesky came out during a recent earnings call and said he wanted to build an environment where employees could work from anywhere. Chesky is more concerned about providing employees with the best atmosphere so they can produce their best work. Airbnb said it wants to be careful about not rushing back to office work, and that is why they are opening their office much later than other big tech companies.
IBM
IBM opened its offices back up in September 2021, but the company is still unsure what to do about remote working for 2022. The company has stated that “IBM has long-established practices and policies supporting work-life balance which will continue as we return to the office”. Most likely, they will end up with a mixed approach and allow certain employees to work fully remotely. An increased allowance for remote working would go hand in hand with the tech giant's increased transition to cloud computing.
The Bottom Line On Back To Office
Different big tech companies are opting for different strategies, but the larger companies are insisting on their employees being in the office at least a few days per week. At the same time, smaller firms are giving their workers more choices about where they work. It will be interesting to see if the smaller tech firms can poach talent by offering more flexible working conditions.
This is especially important since "The Great Resignation" is still ongoing in 2022 and it's a job seeker's market. Companies need to do everything they can to attract and retain top tech talent.
