Although the Covid-19 pandemic is still on furious worldwide, large technology companies seem to be empowered by the recent developments about the last few months and take the first steps to get their employees back to the office.
This week, Uber and Facebook announced timelines for a small percentage of their workforce to return to corporate premises. Uber will reopen its Mission Bay offices in San Francisco on Monday at a 20% occupancy rate, while Facebook plans to reopen selected Bay Area offices on an ongoing basis in early May with a maximum seating capacity of 10%. Microsoft will also open its headquarters in Redmond, Washington and nearby campuses on a limited basis Monday.
Returning to the office is voluntary at Uber, Facebook, and Microsoft at this point.
Uber spokesman Lois Van Der Laan told Gizmodo on Saturday that as cities gently return to a new normal, so will Uber. Going back to office will be on a voluntary basis, she said, adding that Uber’s home police work has been extended until Sept. 13.
Van Der Lann said the company’s reopening protocols are in line with public health guidelines.
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“The protocols for our office reopening meet (or exceed) global, national and local public health guidelines and have been developed in collaboration with public health experts and health and safety partners,” she said in an email. “Employees returning to the workplace must complete virtual training, sign a COVID-19 Precautionary and Confirmation Form, and undergo a daily health check (including temperature check) at home to be eligible for return.”
Other measures include safety signs, social distance placards, six feet (about two meters) between desks, and mandatory face coverings during the initial reopening phase. Uber is also expanding its office cleaning services and says employees with symptoms, or with family members who are sick, should stay at home. When it comes to vaccines, Uber told Gizmodo they won’t be a requirement at this stage of reopening.
Facebook told Gizmodo Saturday it was moving from a single global work from home date to a site-by-site approach. The company said employees were given the option to work from home until July 2, and that after that date, any employee who is not a full-time teleworker can continue to work from home at 50% for up to a month after their office reopened. capacity.
According to Facebook, the latest data suggests that the company will be able to open its largest sites with a capacity of 50% at the earliest after September 7.
“The health and safety of our employees and community neighbors is our top priority and we are taking a deliberate approach to reopening offices,” Facebook spokesman Chloe Meyere told Gizmodo. “When we return to the office, we have established a number of safety protocols, including physical distance and masks that are always required when we are in the office, and weekly testing requirements for everyone working on site where possible. We will continue to work with experts to ensure that our return to office plans are a priority for everyone’s health and safety. ”
Many of Facebook’s offices, depending on where they are, are in a different phase of reopening. To determine how and when to reopen the business, the company primarily looks at local health data, particularly local cases, vaccination coverage, and local access to testing and therapies, among other factors.
As for vaccination, Facebook won’t require employees to get the vaccine to return to the office at this point. The company says the vaccine is safe and encourages workers to get the vaccine when they qualify. It has recently launched a tool to help people figure out where and when to get vaccinated.
Microsoft Executive Vice President Kurt DelBene said in a blog post that Microsoft work sites in 21 countries had been able to accommodate additional workers in their facilities. The employees who work in these locations represent approximately 20% of the company’s global workforce. In the future, the company will focus on a hybrid workplace model.
As for the Redmond office, DelBene said Microsoft had checked local health data for months and found that the office could safely accommodate more workers on site, while adhering to Washington State capacity limits.
“As we look at progress against the virus in the region and continue to evaluate our guidance, employees working at job sites in Redmond or nearby campuses have the choice of returning to those facilities or continuing to work remotely, and they also have the flexibility to do a combination of both, ”wrote DelBene.
He said Microsoft had reviewed all of its work sites to understand what adjustments were needed to enable social distance and meet local health standards. On-site employees will be provided with supplies such as disinfectant wipes and face covers. Microsoft has also limited meeting room capacity, implemented deployment strategies, and placed signs in common areas to ensure social distance, among other measures.
Gizmodo reached out to Microsoft on Saturday to comment on whether vaccines will be needed for its employees returning to the office, but we did not hear back at the time of publication. We will make sure to update this blog as we do.
As far as other big tech companies go, reported the rand that Google’s plans to return to the office are uncertain at this point. In 2020, Google said it would allow its employees to work from home until September this year. Apple CEO Tim Cook said in December that it seemed likely that the majority of teams would not be back in the office by June 2021. Bloomberg Twitter and Spotifymeanwhile let employees work from home permanently if they want to.