10-15-2024
With just four days' notice, Dell told its sales team to come back to the office full-time. The memo announcing this plan acknowledged that some employees might need a bit of time before they could comply. However, the company did not offer any details on what would happen to those employees who could not return that quickly or how the company might support them. In February 2024, Dell told employees they could choose between a hybrid and fully-remote schedule. Under that hybrid policy, the company had expected employees in the office three days a week.
After the latest memo, one Dell employee told Business Insider that he heard a lot of parents “freaking out” over having to find childcare arrangements on such short notice. Whereas managers had previously offered workers flexibility for childcare issues, now employees heard they should use paid time off if they could not work their regular schedule. One employee said a senior leader shared that the return to office mandate could be because of Amazon's recent announcement that its employees had to return.
Meanwhile, Spotify's HR Chief told Raconteur that the company will continue its "work from anywhere" policy. Katarina Berg said, "You can't spend a lot of time hiring grown-ups and then treat them like children." She noted it is harder to collaborate when employees are working together virtually. However, the company does not plan to follow the trend of forcing people back to the office. She asserted, "Work is not a place you come to, [it is] something you do." Spotify's retention rate has improved by embracing this policy, as has its diversity of talent. Airbnb also continues to allow its employees to "live and work anywhere."