Working from home… permanently?

Working from home measures, have been carried out by companies all over the world due to the spread of coronavirus, but what was once considered a temporary work arrangement may prove to be something more permanent.

The virus has forced companies to change their workplace policies, leaving many people across sectors to adapt to the sudden shift in working life, all while trying to cope with the other significant changes occurring in other parts of everyday life.

Companies began modifying workplace policies primarily to protect workers and employees from the covid-19 spread, and to maintain continuity in business flow and productivity.

As such, many tech companies like Twitter and Google were faced with unprecedented challenges. Google extended its work-from-home policy, last week, until the end of 2020, after telling their employees they would be working remotely until June, wrote in a memo on May 8.

Based on the shift, working-from-home is gradually becoming the new normal for this year and maybe into the next, for Google staff. In order to help their workers with this new experience, the big tech company began advising to work from home since March.

Google will begin a phased reopening in June with 10-15 % of staffers allowed to be in one location.

Other big tech companies took the same step as Google, like Twitter, but with a slight difference. After telling staff they would work remotely – awaiting the end of the pandemic crisis – Twitter has changed its policy by declaring this week, that staff can manage their work from home “forever” if they wish. Being able to return to offices is also an option for those who wish to do so, when daily life reopens.

The reason for Twitter’s decision is that work-from-home measures during lockdown proved successful. It published a statement saying, “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.”

Adding, “Those who are keen to return to our offices will be their warm and welcoming selves, with some additional precautions.”

One of the major social media giants that followed this new shift in providing flexibility to policies related to working from home is Facebook. “We’ve also let our employees know that even after more of our teams can return, if there is any reason they feel they cannot work in our offices – because they are in a vulnerable population, because with schools and camps canceled, they don’t have child care, or anything else – they can plan to work from home through at least the summer.” CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a post last month.

The shift in work-life will have a significant impact on the masses around the world, as it is considered by many as a turning point in our history, which will undoubtedly, define our future prospects and the way we conduct business