Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, companies have had to rapidly transition to working from home. While some companies are still trying to figure out whether it’s possible to work in a fully remote environment. Many companies have easily figured out how to communicate, collaborate, share documents, and manage teams virtually. A large number of business leaders have also realized that remote work has numerous benefits. Since then, CEOs have made announcements that working remotely would become permanently part of their company’s future. The future of work isn’t coming; it’s already here.
Below are a few companies that have switched to remote work:
HubSpot
HubSpot is a platform for marketing, sales, customer service, and CRM software. It helps businesses grow without compromise.
Remote Work Policy: HubSpot will shift to a hybrid remote-office model. HubSpot’s new vision for work began in January 2021, giving employees three options to choose from based on how they do their best work. The three options include 100% office, hybrid/flex (employees will come into a HubSpot office 2 or fewer days per week), or 100% work from home. HubSpot gives employees the chance to change the option once per year and to choose which option they would like before their start date.
Message from CEO/HR:
HubSpot’s co-founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah says:
“The future of work is flexible. That’s why we’re grateful to have had a head start on remote work and in building a culture of flexibility. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated our pace, but becoming a hybrid company that empowers remote and in-office work equitably was where the future was headed for HubSpot.”
DropBox
DropBox is a modern workspace designed for people and companies to keep files in sync and share and collaborate on projects anytime and anywhere.
Remote Work Policy: DropBox has now shifted to a remote-first model, meaning remote work will be the primary experience for all employees. A new study from The Economist Intelligence Unit commissioned by Dropbox finds that knowledge workers are more focused at home and just as engaged as before. In DropBox internal surveys, most employees say they’re able to be productive at home (nearly 90%) and don’t want to return to a rigid five-day in-office workweek.
Message from CEO/HR:
DropBox’s CEO and Co-Founder Derek Houston says:
“We think that it's an opportunity not just to redesign the office or rethink the workweek, but to start with a blank slate around how work should really operate.”
Capital One
Capital One is a bank holding company specializing in credit cards, auto loans, banking, and savings accounts.
Remote Work Policy: Permanent remote working for the majority of employees at its US call centers for credit card services. According to Bloomberg, for the rest of its staff, the card giant extended remote operations until the end of March, according to an internal memo.
Message from CEO/HR:
CEO of Capital One, Richard Fairbank says:
“Our employees' well-being is our top priority. “I’ve been inspired by resilience and determination. Creating home offices and learning new ways to work together. Talking to customers one minute and being schoolteachers the next.”
Spotify
Spotify is a Swedish audio streaming and media services’ provider, users can listen to music, podcasts, and comedy without the need of downloading it to their device.
Remote Work Policy: Spotify has declared a hybrid work model for its employees. A hybrid model means employees will be able to work full time from home, from the office, or a combination of the two. Spotify believes that work isn’t something you come to the office for, it’s something you do. They also strongly believe that effectiveness can’t be measured by the number of hours people spend in an office – instead, giving people the freedom to choose where they work will boost effectiveness.
Message from CEO/HR:
Spotify's Travis Robinson, the head of diversity, inclusion, and belonging says:
“This move would promote work-life balance, employee happiness, and inclusion. For one, it's going to help the company attract talent regardless of location. Most of our offices are in large cities like New York, London, and Stockholm, but we know that moving to or staying in these cities isn't always realistic — or attractive — to potential employees.”
Quora
Quora is an American question-and-answer website where questions are asked, answered, followed, and edited by Internet users. It is a place to gain, share knowledge and contribute unique insights.
Remote Work Policy: Quora has declared a remote-first work model. Remote work will be the primary orientation of the company, although offices will still be open to those employees who prefer working in the office. According to Adam D'Angelo, CEO of Quora, 60% of their employees have chosen not to work from an office even after Covid-19 is no longer a threat.
Message from CEO/HR:
Adam D'Angelo, CEO of Quora, tweeted:
“We are going fully remote-first at Quora. Most of our employees have opted not to return to the office post-covid, I will not work out of the office, our leadership teams will not be located in the office, and all policies will orient around remote work."
Target
Target is online and in-store for everything from groceries and essentials to clothing and electronics. It is the second-largest discount store retailer and operates over 1,800 stores in 47 states.
Remote Work Policy: Target will shift to a hybrid work-from-home model for the corporate office. Target believes that a hybrid model of remote and on-site work will allow for flexibility and collaboration and ultimately, requiring less space.
Message from CEO/HR:
Target’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Melissa Kremer says:
"Like many others, we’re taking this time to reimagine the future role of the office and where and how work gets done. As we look to the future, our headquarters environment will include a hybrid model of remote and on-site work. This will allow for the flexibility many of you have come to value, while also providing an opportunity for the in-person connection and collaboration that’s central to our team and culture. Our intent is to blend the best of both work environments."
Remote work has been successful over the past year, it’s highly likely that the number of companies switching to working from home will continue to climb. As well as the number of remote jobs available in each US state. CEOs now have a chance to change the future of work by making it truly diverse, flexible, and transformative!