More than half of its 9,000 Bay Area employees will likely work from home permanently.
Salesforce is the largest employer in the Bay Area, and its shift to remote employment may have huge implications for the future of the city’s economic prospects.
The cloud-based software company announced a “Work From Anywhere” strategy. It created this plan as a result of employee feedback requesting more flexibility.
“We learned that nearly half of our employees want to come in only a few times per month, but also that 80% of employees want to maintain a connection to a physical space,” said Salesforce in a statement February 9th. “So we are giving employees flexibility in how, when and where they work with three ways of working.”
The three options are “Flex,” meaning employees will be in the office 1-3 days per week; “Fully Remote,” meaning they will work from home full-time, and “Office-based,” meaning employees will work from an office 4-5 days per week if their roles require it.
This also means that Salesforce can seek talent outside of the Bay Area. “Our talent strategy is no longer bound by barriers like location, so we can broaden our search beyond traditional city centers and welcome untapped talent from new communities and geographies,” they said. This, combined with the decrease of in-person days at the office for its employees, could majorly effect the city’s economic recovery post-pandemic.
“As we enter a new year, we must continue to go forward with agility, creativity and a beginner’s mind — and that includes how we cultivate our culture. An immersive workspace is no longer limited to a desk in our Towers; the 9-to-5 workday is dead; and the employee experience is about more than ping-pong tables and snacks,” said the statement.
As Salesforce joins the list of tech companies committing to remote work permanently, many San Franciscans are left with questions as to the future of Big Tech and its impact on their city.
[Featured Image: Denys Nevozhai via Unsplash]