Virtual Teams

Facebook and Google have said they will let employees continue working from home for the rest of the year. The tech giants have announced plans to reopen their offices soon but are allowing more home working flexibility. Google originally said it would keep its work from home policy until 1 June, but is extending it for seven more months. Facebook said it would reopen its offices on 6 July as coronavirus lockdowns are gradually lifted. Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said that employees who need to return to the office will start being able to do so from July with enhanced safety measures in place. But the majority of employees who can carry out their jobs from home will be able to do so until the end of the year, Mr Pichai added. The announcement coincides with Facebook’s as more companies start rolling out their back-to-work strategies. “Facebook has taken the next step in its return to work philosophy. Today, we announced anyone who can do their work remotely can choose to do so through the end of the year,” a spokesman said. “As you can imagine this is an evolving situation as employees and their families make important decisions re: return to work.” Facebook is still determining which employees will be asked to come in, the spokeswoman added. The social media platform was among the first tech firms to ask its employees to begin working remotely. Facebook gave employees $1,000 (£807) bonuses for their work-from-home and childcare costs. The trend for working from home may suit some companies while they redesign their office spaces to cater to new social distancing guidelines. Some employees are nervous about returning to work in the middle of a global pandemic.

Twitter has told staff that they can work from home “forever” if they wish as the company looks towards the future after the coronavirus pandemic. The decision came as the social media giant said its work-from-home measures during the lockdown had been a success. But it also said it would allow workers to return to the office if they choose when it reopens. Earlier this month Google and Facebook said their staff can work from home until the end of the year. Twitter said: “The past few months have proven we can make that work. So if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen.” Twitter’s blog went on to say that for those keen to return to Twitter’s office the company “will be their warm and welcoming selves, with some additional precautions”. The San Francisco-based company employs more than 4,000 people across its global offices. It has allowed employees to work from home since March and doesn’t expect to reopen its offices before September. Sree Sreenivasan, a Loeb Visiting Professor of Digital Innovation at the Stony Brook University School of Journalism, said it was “era-defining news”. “Some people may not take this seriously as its Twitter but we can learn a lot from Silicon Valley about workplace flexibility. There has been a mentality that working from home was stealing from the boss and facetime in the office was more important. “But people are proving they can be far more productive and get tasks done working from home. A lot of people tell me they are working harder at home and are exhausted,” he added. Companies around the world are working out how to re-open offices gradually while introducing new social distancing measures.

Technology firm Fujitsu has said it will halve its office space in Japan as it adapts to the “new normal” of the coronavirus pandemic. It says the “Work Life Shift” programme will offer unprecedented flexibility to its 80,000 workers in the country. Staff will be able to work flexible hours, and working from home will be standard wherever possible. The announcement follows a similar move in May by social media platform Twitter. In a statement sent to the BBC, Fujitsu said it “will introduce a new way of working that promises a more empowering, productive, and creative experience for employees that will boost innovation and deliver new value to its customers and society”. Under the plan employees will “begin to primarily work on a remote basis to achieve a working style that allows them to flexibly use their time according to the contents of their work, business roles, and lifestyle”. The company also said the programme would allow staff to choose where they worked, whether that was from home, a major corporate hub or a satellite office. Fujitsu believes that that the increased autonomy offered to its workers will help to improve the performance of teams and increase productivity. Sree Sreenivasan, visiting professor of digital innovation at the Stony Brook University School of Journalism, said the announcement underlined the huge long-term impact of the pandemic on the way many of us work. “This is yet another sign that everything we know about offices and the future of work is being upended. Thousands of employers and millions of employees are learning the pros and cons of the new normal.” “If they can combine the best of the pros (less commuting, more productivity, less expenses, etc), while minimising the cons (lack of in-person bonding, never being off the clock, etc), millions will be grateful, while frustrating thousands who preferred the old way of life,” he added. Twitter allows staff to work from home ‘forever’ Facebook and Google extend working from home In May, Twitter told staff that they could work from home “forever” if they wished, as the company looks towards the future after the coronavirus pandemic. The social media platform said: “The past few months have proven we can make that work. So if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen.” Earlier that month Google and Facebook said their staff could work from home until the end of the year. Google originally said it would keep its work from home policy until 1 June, but extended it for seven more months. Its announcement coincided with a similar move by social media giant Facebook.