A full two years after the pandemic first sent workforces home en masse, three of Big Tech’s most potent titans have announced plans to bring employees back to their offices. Apple, Google, and Twitter have now revealed dates to reopen their central offices, meaning that company-wide remote home working will be shifting yet again. While the return to a physical office has been delayed several times, the three companies have now committed to specific plans to make it happen, although they have employed differing measures to do so. Mainly, the programs are operationally hybrid in nature. Smaller companies are likely to watch how these large organizations handle the move back to the workplace. In this way, the giant companies will learn the lessons and feel the pain or hybrid work environments – and the rest of us can learn from their experience. Despite their differences, all companies have committed to a “normal” five-day workweek for their employees.
Apple Commits to April 11 Opening
In 2020, Apple announced a staff return to the office three days a week, sparking protests among their employees. But the company has been determined to insist on their staff returning to its Cupertino main offices, at least part-time. Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook presented a “phased” office reopening that begins on April 11. The first phase will require employees to report to the office one day per week. The hybrid pilot – which will necessitate a total of 2 days per week – will be rolled out on May 23. Apple employees will be expected to report in person on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday — and will be given flexibility on Wednesday and Friday.
Cook understands that a return to the office may not be popular (or even comfortable) among all personnel, but many are looking forward to interacting personally again.
Google Shooting for April 4 Opening
When Omicron appeared on the scene, Google’s planned return on January 10 was shelved. Reuters now reports that Google hopes to welcome workers back on April 4, a decision that applies to staff in Google’s US, UK, and Asia-Pacific offices. Under the Google plan, employees who are comfortable returning to an office environment can apply for an extension. Before returning to the office, employees must be fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption. Unvaccinated workers will be permitted to work remotely permanently.
Google asks personnel to report to the office three days a week, depending on team responsibility and individual roles. That being said, Google has reportedly only denied 15% of requests to work from home, meaning that thousands of employees have been cleared to work from home permanently.
Twitter Offices Welcome Employees on March 15
Twitter is taking a more flexible approach than its tech colleagues. When offices open next week, employees will be permitted to decide where they work. While offering freedom of work flexibility, CEO Parag Agrawal announced on Twitter that all offices globally are open for business travel. Agrawal, who replaced Jack Dorsey in November, made a sweeping promise to employees in a recent Twitter post. “Wherever you feel most productive and creative is where you will work and that includes working from home full-time forever,” he said. “Office every day? That works, too. Some days in the office, some days from home? Of course.” Experts point to this approach as being popular and highly effective to keep key personnel in a very tight labor market.
However, Agrawal also acknowledged that hybrid work environments present challenging operational issues that will need proactive and intentional” solutions.
Forrester Research Points to Hybrid Models as the Way Forward: Forrester survey data reveals that 51% of businesses plan to adopt hybrid work environments going forward. 15% of companies plan to proceed “remote-first,” and 34% will return to the office every day of the week.
Overall, companies are keeping a close eye on the effects of all these changes. For instance, women are expected to take more advantage of work-from-home policies, affecting diversity in the workplace. Experts also wonder if staying home will impede their career by not being as visible daily. These and other issues will have to play out as our pandemic response continues into its third year.
Alliance IT is a managed services firm based in Sarasota, Florida.
