Zoom, a company that specialises in video communications and whose name became associated with remote work during the pandemic, has instructed employees to return to the office. The company suggested that people who lived less than 50 miles (80 km) from an office visit in person a minimum of twice per week. The company indicated that it believed an “organised hybrid approach” to be the most successful. It is the most recent attempt by a significant company to roll back flexible working policies.
Technology News UK reports that some workers are still clinging to the possibility of working from home. According to a survey done monthly since the pandemic by researchers at Stanford University and other institutions, about 12% of employees in the US, where Zoom is headquartered, were fully remote in July, and another 29% had hybrid policies.
In the past, Zoom has asserted that its employees will always be able to work from home. According to the tech company, the new policy would be implemented in different countries on a staggered schedule between August and September. It promised to keep “hiring the best talent, wherever they are.” Over half of the company’s 8,400 employees were based in the US as of the end of January.
Zoom has recently opened a new London office in the UK, where it currently employs about 200 people. According to Zoom, the new policy would put the business in a “better position to use our own technologies, continue to innovate, and support our global customers,” as first reported by Business Insider.
In order to keep its employees and geographically dispersed teams connected and productive, Zoom said that it would continue to use the entire Zoom platform.
