Zoom decided to embrace a hybrid work model. The video conferencing firm is now asking some employees to return to the office.
Zoom Tells Staff to Return to Office
Zoom, the video platform that redefined remote work during the pandemic, has made a surprising announcement. As per Mashable, the video conferencing giant is asking its workforce to dust off their office chairs and return to the physical workspace.
It is not the first time Zoom asked its workforce to return to the office since the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to work at home. Since then, the video conferencing service took the world by storm as employees around the world relied on it for communication.
Zoom is now appealing to its employees to start embracing a hybrid schedule. The tech firm is asking some workers to go to the office for at least two days a week. The remaining days could still be under the work-from-home setup.
The hybrid setup is requiring some employees, particularly those who are near Zoom's offices to show up in person twice a week. In other words, workers living within 50 miles or 80 kilometers would have to start returning to the office.
The New York Post notes that Zoom has two offices around the United States. One sits in Denver, Colorado, while the other is located in San Jose California.
Why Zoom Wants Employees to Return to Office
According to Fortune's report, Zoom believes a "hybrid" working setup works better for the tech firm.
A Zoom spokesperson explains that "a structured hybrid approach - meaning employees that live near an office need to be onsite two days a week to interact with their teams - is most effective for Zoom."
Last year, or in 2022, Zoom already hinted at a shift in work arrangements. The tech firm says most employees have to follow a hybrid setup. However, some staff, around two percent, will be working full-time. Zoom's chief financial officer Kelly Steckelberg argued that most employees still want a choice, giving them the option to continue working at home.
While remote work comes with several advantages, such as avoiding long commutes and increased flexibility, companies believe in-person interactions are crucial. Other tech giants have also encouraged their workers to return to the office, noting that in-person work offers benefits that remote workers are missing out on. The Facebook parent and Google stress that working in an office cultivates ideation and builds trust.
Thanks to the explosion of remote work across the globe, Zoom's shares ballooned in 2020. However, the sudden plummet of the video conferencing service did not last long. By the end of 2021, its stock price rapidly slumped, slashing around $100 billion worth of market value.
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