As companies begin to welcome back workers to the office, we’re starting to see what the future of work will look like — and it’s looking like the hybrid schedule is staying.
Some are planning to have three-days in the office. Others say they are going fully remote. Here’s a rundown of how some of the top tech companies are planning office openings.
Google gets flexible
Google said it expects about 60% of its 140,000 global workforce to spend roughly three days in the office per week after the pandemic.
In a memo later published as a blog, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company would adopt a flexible schedule for workers moving forward, with most employees expected to come in the office “a few days a week.”
Pichai said that Google will move to a hybrid work week where employees would spend approximately three days in the office and two days wherever they see fit to work. However, some roles may require more than three days a week on site.
The company expected to have 20% of its workforce working in new office locations, and 20% working from home.
Moving forward, Google said its Googlers will be offered “work-from-anywhere” weeks, which means they can temporarily work anywhere other than their main office for up to four weeks per year.
“The goal here is to give everyone more flexibility around summer and holiday travel,” Pichai wrote.
Google will also continue offering its “reset days” which are designed to help employees recharge during the pandemic in 2021.
The company opened its US offices in a limited capacity in April for workers that wanted to get back in the office, but said they can still work remotely until September.
Spotify from anywhere
Employees at Spotify have always been able to listen to music as they go. Now, they can work from anywhere, too.
Spotify announced in February its “Work From Anywhere” program for all employees which starts this summer. The idea is to offer employees flexibility when it comes to work location. Workers at the streaming giant can choose different packages when it comes to work locales.
“My Work Mode” is designed to allow employees to work full time from home, the office, or a combination of both. That package will be negotiated between each employee and their manager.
Spotify also said that they will be offering location services. This is for people that aren’t near a Spotify office; the company said it will support them with a co-working space membership if they want to work from an office.
“A flexible working culture is built on trust, communication, collaboration, and connection and acknowledging that we’re all individuals, with different needs and rituals gives us the right frame of mind to let go of a few chosen truths and instead find what’s right for our business and our people,” the company said.
Facebook says hello to remote
In the case that Facebook workers loved working remotely so much, they can potentially work remotely for however long they want after the pandemic.
Brynn Harrington, vice president of Facebook’s HR team, said that some employees thrived while working remotely during the pandemic, citing how parents can spend more time with their children and how commutes have become obsolete.
In an interview with the BBC, Harrington said that staffers at the social media hub can apply to their managers for permanent remote solutions.
Bloomberg reported Facebook will start to reopen its Silicon Valley offices in May at 10% capacity. For employees inside the office, they would need to wear proper safety equipment like masks and maintain social distance.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg said last year that he expected half of Facebook’s workforce to be entirely remote in the next decade.
Microsoft goes… soft
For workers at Microsoft, the company began welcoming back employees to its Redmond, Washington offices and other campuses at the end of March, but employees had a choice to return, continue to work remotely, or even work between home and the office, CBS News reported.
Apple is figuring it out
In an interview with People, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he anticipates implementing a hybrid environment for workers — yet that’s still in the works.
“My gut says that, for us, it’s still very important to physically be in touch with one another because collaboration isn’t always a planned activity,” Cook told the outlet in March.
He added: “Innovation isn’t always a planned activity. It’s bumping into each other over the course of the day and advancing an idea that you just had. And you really need to be together to do that.”
Apple recently opened its 175-acre Cupertino campus in 2017. It’s trying to see how things play out before implementing any openings.
“Largely, I think that we’re going to be back at work again, and I can’t wait until that happens,” Cook said.
What about Twitter?
Twitter went rogue when it announced workers could remain at home indefinitely in the beginning of the pandemic.
A year after making the announcement, Twitter told The Verge that it will implement a “gradual, office-by-office” reopening that’ll start at 20% capacity.
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